PAX or BLK: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Financial - Investment Management sector have probably already heard of Patria Investments (PAX) and BlackRock (BLK). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Patria Investments has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while BlackRock has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PAX has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.

PAX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.16, while BLK has a forward P/E of 19.69. We also note that PAX has a PEG ratio of 0.60. 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. BLK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.32.

Another notable valuation metric for PAX is its P/B ratio of 1.47. 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, BLK has a P/B of 2.94.

Based on these metrics and many more, PAX holds a Value grade of A, while BLK has a Value grade of D.

PAX stands above BLK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that PAX 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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