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BBSI or PAYX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Zacks Equity Research
·2 min read

Investors with an interest in Outsourcing stocks have likely encountered both Barrett Business Services (BBSI) and Paychex (PAYX). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Both Barrett Business Services and Paychex have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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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.

BBSI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.20, while PAYX has a forward P/E of 31.26. We also note that BBSI has a PEG ratio of 0.88. 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. PAYX currently has a PEG ratio of 4.17.

Another notable valuation metric for BBSI is its P/B ratio of 3.38. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, PAYX has a P/B of 15.16.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BBSI's Value grade of A and PAYX's Value grade of D.

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


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Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Paychex, Inc. (PAYX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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Zacks Investment Research