Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Foreign sector have probably already heard of Mizuho (MFG) and ICICI Bank Limited (IBN). 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.
Mizuho and ICICI Bank Limited are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that MFG likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than IBN has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
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.
MFG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.26, while IBN has a forward P/E of 18.24. We also note that MFG has a PEG ratio of 1. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. IBN currently has a PEG ratio of 1.67.
Another notable valuation metric for MFG is its P/B ratio of 0.65. 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, IBN has a P/B of 2.90.
These metrics, and several others, help MFG earn a Value grade of B, while IBN has been given a Value grade of D.
MFG sticks out from IBN in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that MFG is the better option right now.
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (MFG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
ICICI Bank Limited (IBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
