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KEP vs. OGE: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Utility - Electric Power sector have probably already heard of Korea Electric Power (KEP - Free Report) and OGE Energy (OGE - Free Report) . 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.

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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Korea Electric Power and OGE Energy are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This means that KEP's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

KEP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.55, while OGE has a forward P/E of 15.92. We also note that KEP has a PEG ratio of 1.51. 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. OGE currently has a PEG ratio of 3.61.

Another notable valuation metric for KEP is its P/B ratio of 0.22. 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, OGE has a P/B of 1.87.

Based on these metrics and many more, KEP holds a Value grade of A, while OGE has a Value grade of C.

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


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