ADUS vs. USPH: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare sector have probably already heard of Addus HomeCare (ADUS) and U.S. Physical Therapy (USPH). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Addus HomeCare is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while U.S. Physical Therapy has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that ADUS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

ADUS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.01, while USPH has a forward P/E of 34.47. We also note that ADUS has a PEG ratio of 1.58. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. USPH currently has a PEG ratio of 4.53.

Another notable valuation metric for ADUS is its P/B ratio of 2.07. 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, USPH has a P/B of 2.46.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ADUS's Value grade of B and USPH's Value grade of C.

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

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Addus HomeCare Corporation (ADUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. (USPH) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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