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FLS vs. NDSN: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Manufacturing - General Industrial stocks have likely encountered both Flowserve (FLS - Free Report) and Nordson (NDSN - Free Report) . 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Flowserve has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Nordson has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that FLS has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

FLS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.02, while NDSN has a forward P/E of 25.19. We also note that FLS has a PEG ratio of 0.79. 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. NDSN currently has a PEG ratio of 1.94.

Another notable valuation metric for FLS is its P/B ratio of 2.79. 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, NDSN has a P/B of 5.65.

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

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


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