NMR or MKTX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors with an interest in Financial - Investment Bank stocks have likely encountered both Nomura Holdings (NMR) and MarketAxess (MKTX). 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Nomura Holdings has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while MarketAxess has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that NMR's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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.

NMR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.51, while MKTX has a forward P/E of 20.59. We also note that NMR has a PEG ratio of 2.03. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. MKTX currently has a PEG ratio of 4.20.

Another notable valuation metric for NMR is its P/B ratio of 1.02. 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, MKTX has a P/B of 4.51.

These metrics, and several others, help NMR earn a Value grade of A, while MKTX has been given a Value grade of D.

NMR stands above MKTX thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that NMR is the superior value option right now.

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

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