CCL vs. ATAT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in stocks from the Leisure and Recreation Services sector have probably already heard of Carnival (CCL) and Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR (ATAT). 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.

Right now, Carnival is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Atour Lifestyle Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that CCL likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than ATAT has recently. But this is only part of the picture 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.

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.

CCL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.63, while ATAT has a forward P/E of 20.03. We also note that CCL has a PEG ratio of 0.55. 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. ATAT currently has a PEG ratio of 0.92.

Another notable valuation metric for CCL is its P/B ratio of 2.99. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, ATAT has a P/B of 9.91.

Based on these metrics and many more, CCL holds a Value grade of A, while ATAT has a Value grade of C.

CCL has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than ATAT, so it seems like value investors will conclude that CCL is the superior option right now.

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

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