Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Electric Power sector might want to consider either Pampa Energia (PAM) or DTE Energy (DTE). 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.
The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.
Pampa Energia has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while DTE Energy 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 PAM has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.
Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.
PAM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.72, while DTE has a forward P/E of 19.04. We also note that PAM has a PEG ratio of 2.99. 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. DTE currently has a PEG ratio of 3.21.
Another notable valuation metric for PAM is its P/B ratio of 1.21. 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, DTE has a P/B of 2.48.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to PAM's Value grade of B and DTE's Value grade of C.
PAM has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than DTE, so it seems like value investors will conclude that PAM is the superior option right now.
Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Pampa Energia S.A. (PAM): Free Stock Analysis Report
DTE Energy Company (DTE): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).