Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Investment Management sector might want to consider either AllianceBernstein (AB) or Cohen & Steers Inc (CNS). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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.
Right now, both AllianceBernstein and Cohen & Steers Inc are sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. 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 11.78, while CNS has a forward P/E of 22.88. We also note that AB has a PEG ratio of 1.28. 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. CNS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.84.
Another notable valuation metric for AB is its P/B ratio of 2.19. 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, CNS has a P/B of 6.66.
These metrics, and several others, help AB earn a Value grade of A, while CNS has been given a Value grade of D.
Both AB and CNS are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that AB is the superior value option right now.
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AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (AB): Free Stock Analysis Report Cohen & Steers Inc (CNS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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