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BCS vs. UOVEY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - Foreign sector might want to consider either Barclays (BCS - Free Report) or United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOVEY - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Barclays and United Overseas Bank Ltd. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that BCS has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

BCS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 4.07, while UOVEY has a forward P/E of 10.24. We also note that BCS has a PEG ratio of 0.13. 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. UOVEY currently has a PEG ratio of 0.78.

Another notable valuation metric for BCS is its P/B ratio of 0.31. 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, UOVEY has a P/B of 0.98.

These metrics, and several others, help BCS earn a Value grade of A, while UOVEY has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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Barclays PLC (BCS) - free report >>

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