EMR vs. AOS: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors looking for stocks in the Manufacturing - Electronics sector might want to consider either Emerson Electric (EMR) or A.O. Smith (AOS). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Emerson Electric has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while A.O. Smith has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell) right now. This means that EMR's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

EMR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.63, while AOS has a forward P/E of 16.49. We also note that EMR has a PEG ratio of 1.55. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. AOS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.83.

Another notable valuation metric for EMR is its P/B ratio of 3.33. 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, AOS has a P/B of 3.77.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to EMR's Value grade of B and AOS's Value grade of D.

EMR has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than AOS, so it seems like value investors will conclude that EMR is the superior option right now.

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Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
A. O. Smith Corporation (AOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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