KGC vs. AEM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Mining - Gold sector have probably already heard of Kinross Gold (KGC) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM). 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, both Kinross Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

KGC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.48, while AEM has a forward P/E of 23.24. We also note that KGC has a PEG ratio of 0.73. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. AEM currently has a PEG ratio of 1.21.

Another notable valuation metric for KGC is its P/B ratio of 2.59. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, AEM has a P/B of 2.92.

Based on these metrics and many more, KGC holds a Value grade of B, while AEM has a Value grade of C.

Both KGC and AEM are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that KGC 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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