JAZZ vs. ZTS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors with an interest in Medical - Drugs stocks have likely encountered both Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) and Zoetis (ZTS). 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Zoetis has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that JAZZ is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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 8.38, while ZTS has a forward P/E of 35.29. We also note that JAZZ has a PEG ratio of 1.39. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. ZTS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.12.

Another notable valuation metric for JAZZ is its P/B ratio of 2.38. 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, ZTS has a P/B of 25.03.

These metrics, and several others, help JAZZ earn a Value grade of A, while ZTS has been given a Value grade of C.

JAZZ sticks out from ZTS in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that JAZZ is the better option right now.

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Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC (JAZZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Zoetis Inc. (ZTS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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