Investors interested in Banks - Foreign stocks are likely familiar with Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY) and HDFC Bank (HDB). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.
Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Right now, Erste Group Bank AG is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while HDFC Bank has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that EBKDY is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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.
The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.
EBKDY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.19, while HDB has a forward P/E of 15.17. We also note that EBKDY has a PEG ratio of 0.65. 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. HDB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.19.
Another notable valuation metric for EBKDY is its P/B ratio of 1.3. 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, HDB has a P/B of 1.91.
These metrics, and several others, help EBKDY earn a Value grade of B, while HDB has been given a Value grade of C.
EBKDY stands above HDB thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that EBKDY is the superior value option right now.
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Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY): Free Stock Analysis Report
HDFC Bank Limited (HDB): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).