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NCS vs. AWI: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Is (PSEC) Outperforming Other Finance Stocks This Year?

Investors interested in Building Products - Miscellaneous stocks are likely familiar with NCI Building Systems (NCS) and Armstrong World Industries (AWI). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

NCI Building Systems and Armstrong World Industries are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that NCS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than AWI has recently. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

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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.

NCS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.87, while AWI has a forward P/E of 18.66. We also note that NCS has a PEG ratio of 1.09. 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. AWI currently has a PEG ratio of 1.12.

Another notable valuation metric for NCS is its P/B ratio of 3.50. 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, AWI has a P/B of 8.91.

These metrics, and several others, help NCS earn a Value grade of B, while AWI has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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NCI Building Systems, Inc. (NCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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