FE or PEG: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors interested in Utility - Electric Power stocks are likely familiar with FirstEnergy (FE) and PSEG (PEG). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

FirstEnergy and PSEG are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that FE likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than PEG has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

FE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.44, while PEG has a forward P/E of 16.56. We also note that FE has a PEG ratio of 2.60. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. PEG currently has a PEG ratio of 2.72.

Another notable valuation metric for FE is its P/B ratio of 1.8. 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, PEG has a P/B of 2.08.

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

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