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PFE or NVO: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals sector have probably already heard of Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) and Novo Nordisk (NVO - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

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

Currently, Pfizer has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Novo Nordisk has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that PFE'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 analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.

PFE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.84, while NVO has a forward P/E of 33.79. We also note that PFE has a PEG ratio of 0.71. 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. NVO currently has a PEG ratio of 1.40.

Another notable valuation metric for PFE is its P/B ratio of 1.58. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, NVO has a P/B of 27.98.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to PFE's Value grade of A and NVO's Value grade of C.

PFE 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 PFE is likely the superior value option right now.


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