VIRT vs. MCO: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in Financial - Miscellaneous Services stocks are likely familiar with Virtu Financial (VIRT) and Moody's (MCO). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Virtu Financial is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Moody's has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that VIRT is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

VIRT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.73, while MCO has a forward P/E of 34.58. We also note that VIRT has a PEG ratio of 0.54. 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. MCO currently has a PEG ratio of 2.86.

Another notable valuation metric for VIRT is its P/B ratio of 3.04. 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, MCO has a P/B of 21.83.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to VIRT's Value grade of A and MCO's Value grade of D.

VIRT 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 VIRT is likely the superior value option right now.

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

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