GMS vs. LL: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors interested in Building Products – Retail stocks are likely familiar with GMS Inc. (GMS) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL). 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

GMS Inc. and Lumber Liquidators Holdings are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This means that GMS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

GMS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.42, while LL has a forward P/E of 30.77. We also note that GMS has a PEG ratio of 1.20. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. LL currently has a PEG ratio of 1.30.

Another notable valuation metric for GMS is its P/B ratio of 1.90. 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, LL has a P/B of 3.50.

Based on these metrics and many more, GMS holds a Value grade of A, while LL has a Value grade of D.

GMS stands above LL thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that GMS is the superior value option right now.

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