Investors interested in Utility - Water Supply stocks are likely familiar with Consolidated Water (CWCO) and American Water Works (AWK). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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.

Right now, both Consolidated Water and American Water Works are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). 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 only part of the picture 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.

CWCO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.01, while AWK has a forward P/E of 22.78. We also note that CWCO has a PEG ratio of 2.38. 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. AWK currently has a PEG ratio of 2.80.

Another notable valuation metric for CWCO is its P/B ratio of 1.96. 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, AWK has a P/B of 2.44.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to CWCO's Value grade of B and AWK's Value grade of D.

Both CWCO and AWK are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that CWCO is the superior value option right now.

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Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (CWCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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