Investors interested in stocks from the Financial - Investment Management sector have probably already heard of AllianceBernstein (AB) and BlackRock Finance (BLK). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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.
AllianceBernstein has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while BlackRock Finance has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. This means that AB'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.
AB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.77, while BLK has a forward P/E of 23.65. We also note that AB has a PEG ratio of 0.74. 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. BLK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.82.
Another notable valuation metric for AB is its P/B ratio of 2.14. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, BLK has a P/B of 3.71.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to AB's Value grade of B and BLK's Value grade of D.
AB stands above BLK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that AB is the superior value option right now.
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See This Stock Now for Free >>AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (AB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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