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VNT vs. DUOL: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Technology Services sector might want to consider either Vontier Corporation (VNT - Free Report) or Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL - 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Vontier Corporation is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Duolingo, Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that VNT is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

VNT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.82, while DUOL has a forward P/E of 117.01. We also note that VNT has a PEG ratio of 1.37. 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. DUOL currently has a PEG ratio of 2.60.

Another notable valuation metric for VNT is its P/B ratio of 4.9. 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, DUOL has a P/B of 17.22.

Based on these metrics and many more, VNT holds a Value grade of B, while DUOL has a Value grade of F.

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


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