ESNT or CINF: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors with an interest in Insurance - Property and Casualty stocks have likely encountered both Essent Group (ESNT) and Cincinnati Financial (CINF). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

Right now, Essent Group is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Cincinnati Financial has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that ESNT likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than CINF 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.

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.

ESNT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.02, while CINF has a forward P/E of 20.36. We also note that ESNT has a PEG ratio of 1.72. 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. CINF currently has a PEG ratio of 3.54.

Another notable valuation metric for ESNT is its P/B ratio of 1.12. 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, CINF has a P/B of 1.56.

These metrics, and several others, help ESNT earn a Value grade of B, while CINF has been given a Value grade of C.

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

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

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