NCLH vs. MTN: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in Leisure and Recreation Services stocks are likely familiar with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) and Vail Resorts (MTN). 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Vail Resorts are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), respectively, right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that NCLH is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

NCLH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.95, while MTN has a forward P/E of 21.22. We also note that NCLH has a PEG ratio of 0.54. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. MTN currently has a PEG ratio of 2.39.

Another notable valuation metric for NCLH is its P/B ratio of 3.87. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, MTN has a P/B of 6.75.

These metrics, and several others, help NCLH earn a Value grade of A, while MTN has been given a Value grade of C.

NCLH has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than MTN, so it seems like value investors will conclude that NCLH is the superior option right now.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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