IBP or AWI: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors interested in Building Products - Miscellaneous stocks are likely familiar with Installed Building Products (IBP) and Armstrong World Industries (AWI). 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, Installed Building Products has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Armstrong World Industries 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 IBP has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

IBP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.63, while AWI has a forward P/E of 21.34. We also note that IBP has a PEG ratio of 1.10. 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. AWI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.12.

Another notable valuation metric for IBP is its P/B ratio of 8.41. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, AWI has a P/B of 19.71.

Based on these metrics and many more, IBP holds a Value grade of B, while AWI has a Value grade of C.

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

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Installed Building Products, Inc. (IBP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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