Back to top

Image: Bigstock

ITUB or IBN: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors with an interest in Banks - Foreign stocks have likely encountered both Banco Itau (ITUB - Free Report) and ICICI Bank Limited (IBN - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, both Banco Itau and ICICI Bank Limited are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have 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.

ITUB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.29, while IBN has a forward P/E of 17.33. We also note that ITUB has a PEG ratio of 0.75. 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. IBN currently has a PEG ratio of 1.67.

Another notable valuation metric for ITUB is its P/B ratio of 1.71. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, IBN has a P/B of 2.80.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ITUB's Value grade of B and IBN's Value grade of D.

Both ITUB and IBN are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that ITUB is the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


ICICI Bank Limited (IBN) - free report >>

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. (ITUB) - free report >>

Published in