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BAX or BSX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Zacks Equity Research

Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Products sector have probably already heard of Baxter International (BAX) and Boston Scientific (BSX). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Baxter International has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Boston Scientific has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that BAX has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

BAX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 26.03, while BSX has a forward P/E of 27.06. We also note that BAX has a PEG ratio of 2.03. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. BSX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.53.

Another notable valuation metric for BAX is its P/B ratio of 5.72. 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, BSX has a P/B of 6.24.

Based on these metrics and many more, BAX holds a Value grade of B, while BSX has a Value grade of D.

BAX sticks out from BSX in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that BAX is the better option right now.


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Baxter International Inc. (BAX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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Zacks Investment Research