Investors interested in stocks from the Utility - Water Supply sector have probably already heard of SJW (SJW) and American States Water (AWR). 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.

Right now, SJW is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while American States Water has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that SJW's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 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.

SJW currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.35, while AWR has a forward P/E of 28.53. We also note that SJW has a PEG ratio of 3.39. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. AWR currently has a PEG ratio of 4.53.

Another notable valuation metric for SJW is its P/B ratio of 1.39. 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, AWR has a P/B of 3.68.

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

SJW is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that SJW is likely the superior value option right now.

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