Investors interested in stocks from the Retail - Apparel and Shoes sector have probably already heard of Urban Outfitters (URBN) and Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. (ZGN). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
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.
Urban Outfitters and Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that URBN has an improving earnings outlook. 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.
URBN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.36, while ZGN has a forward P/E of 30.52. We also note that URBN has a PEG ratio of 1.29. 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. ZGN currently has a PEG ratio of 4.02.
Another notable valuation metric for URBN is its P/B ratio of 2.28. 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, ZGN has a P/B of 4.7.
These metrics, and several others, help URBN earn a Value grade of A, while ZGN has been given a Value grade of D.
URBN has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than ZGN, so it seems like value investors will conclude that URBN is the superior option right now.
7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days
Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."
Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention.
See them now >>Want 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
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN): Free Stock Analysis Report
Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. (ZGN): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).