Investors looking for stocks in the Medical - Dental Supplies sector might want to consider either Merit Medical (MMSI) or West Pharmaceutical Services (WST). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Merit Medical has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while West Pharmaceutical Services has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that MMSI is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

MMSI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 30.86, while WST has a forward P/E of 48.47. We also note that MMSI has a PEG ratio of 2.57. 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. WST currently has a PEG ratio of 24.42.

Another notable valuation metric for MMSI is its P/B ratio of 4.56. 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, WST has a P/B of 8.51.

These metrics, and several others, help MMSI earn a Value grade of B, while WST has been given a Value grade of D.

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

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Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (MMSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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