JAZZ or PCRX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors with an interest in Medical - Drugs stocks have likely encountered both Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) and Pacira (PCRX). 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 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, Jazz Pharmaceuticals has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Pacira has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that JAZZ's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst 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.

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.

JAZZ currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.04, while PCRX has a forward P/E of 28.27. We also note that JAZZ has a PEG ratio of 0.95. 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. PCRX currently has a PEG ratio of 1.23.

Another notable valuation metric for JAZZ is its P/B ratio of 2.79. 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, PCRX has a P/B of 5.55.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to JAZZ's Value grade of A and PCRX's Value grade of D.

JAZZ 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 JAZZ is likely the superior value option right now.

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Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC (JAZZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PCRX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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