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PSN or APP: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Technology Services sector have probably already heard of Parsons (PSN - Free Report) and AppLovin (APP - 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.

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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Parsons and AppLovin are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

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.

PSN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 34.23, while APP has a forward P/E of 45.79. We also note that PSN has a PEG ratio of 2.13. 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. APP currently has a PEG ratio of 2.29.

Another notable valuation metric for PSN is its P/B ratio of 4.82. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, APP has a P/B of 65.25.

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

Both PSN and APP are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that PSN is the superior value option right now.


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