Investors interested in Banks - Major Regional stocks are likely familiar with State Street Corporation (STT) and Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS). 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.
We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. 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.
State Street Corporation has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Northern Trust Corporation has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that STT's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.
STT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.13, while NTRS has a forward P/E of 14.40. We also note that STT has a PEG ratio of 1.05. 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. NTRS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.34.
Another notable valuation metric for STT is its P/B ratio of 1.31. 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, NTRS has a P/B of 1.95.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to STT's Value grade of B and NTRS's Value grade of C.
STT 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 STT is likely the superior value option right now.
#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)
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One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.
See This Stock Now for Free >>State Street Corporation (STT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
