Investors with an interest in Utility - Gas Distribution stocks have likely encountered both ONE Gas (OGS) and MDU Resources (MDU). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.
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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.
Currently, ONE Gas has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while MDU Resources has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that OGS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.
OGS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.26, while MDU has a forward P/E of 19.93. We also note that OGS has a PEG ratio of 2.44. 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. MDU currently has a PEG ratio of 2.64.
Another notable valuation metric for OGS is its P/B ratio of 1.44. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, MDU has a P/B of 1.48.
Based on these metrics and many more, OGS holds a Value grade of B, while MDU has a Value grade of C.
OGS sticks out from MDU in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that OGS is the better option right now.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
