Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Southwest sector have probably already heard of First Horizon National (FHN) and Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR). 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.
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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Both First Horizon National and Cullen/Frost Bankers have a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies 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.
FHN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.34, while CFR has a forward P/E of 13.58. We also note that FHN has a PEG ratio of 0.88. 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. CFR currently has a PEG ratio of 3.11.
Another notable valuation metric for FHN is its P/B ratio of 1.4. 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, CFR has a P/B of 1.98.
Based on these metrics and many more, FHN holds a Value grade of B, while CFR has a Value grade of C.
Both FHN and CFR are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that FHN is the superior value option right now.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
First Horizon Corporation (FHN): Free Stock Analysis Report Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (CFR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
