STNE vs. INFA: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors with an interest in Internet - Software stocks have likely encountered both StoneCo Ltd. (STNE) and Informatica Inc. (INFA). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

StoneCo Ltd. has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Informatica Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that STNE has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

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.

STNE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.88, while INFA has a forward P/E of 15.46. We also note that STNE has a PEG ratio of 0.41. 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. INFA currently has a PEG ratio of 2.18.

Another notable valuation metric for STNE is its P/B ratio of 1.94. 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, INFA has a P/B of 2.83.

Based on these metrics and many more, STNE holds a Value grade of B, while INFA has a Value grade of D.

STNE 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 STNE 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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