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NICE or FFIV: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Internet - Software sector might want to consider either Nice (NICE - Free Report) or F5 Networks (FFIV - 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.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

Currently, Nice has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while F5 Networks has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that NICE's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst 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.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

NICE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.94, while FFIV has a forward P/E of 16.79. We also note that NICE has a PEG ratio of 1.10. 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. FFIV currently has a PEG ratio of 2.50.

Another notable valuation metric for NICE is its P/B ratio of 3.03. 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, FFIV has a P/B of 4.44.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to NICE's Value grade of B and FFIV's Value grade of C.

NICE is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that NICE is likely the superior value option right now.


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