LRN vs. BFAM: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
Investors interested in Schools stocks are likely familiar with K12 (LRN) and Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
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.
Both K12 and Bright Horizons Family Solutions have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.
LRN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 37.40, while BFAM has a forward P/E of 37.67. We also note that LRN has a PEG ratio of 2.49. 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. BFAM currently has a PEG ratio of 3.55.
Another notable valuation metric for LRN is its P/B ratio of 2.02. 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, BFAM has a P/B of 9.46.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to LRN's Value grade of B and BFAM's Value grade of D.
Both LRN and BFAM are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that LRN is the superior value option right now.
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K12 Inc (LRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. (BFAM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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