Investors with an interest in Agriculture - Operations stocks have likely encountered both Dole (DOLE) and Limoneira (LMNR). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Right now, Dole is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Limoneira has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that DOLE likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than LMNR has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.
Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.
DOLE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.90, while LMNR has a forward P/E of 95.06. We also note that DOLE has a PEG ratio of 2.52. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. LMNR currently has a PEG ratio of 6.34.
Another notable valuation metric for DOLE is its P/B ratio of 1. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, LMNR has a P/B of 2.42.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to DOLE's Value grade of A and LMNR's Value grade of D.
DOLE sticks out from LMNR in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that DOLE is the better option right now.
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Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpDole PLC (DOLE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Limoneira Co (LMNR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
