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XHR vs. VTR: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the REIT and Equity Trust - Other sector have probably already heard of Xenia Hotels & Resorts (XHR - Free Report) and Ventas (VTR - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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.

Xenia Hotels & Resorts has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Ventas has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that XHR is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

XHR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.30, while VTR has a forward P/E of 13.54. We also note that XHR has a PEG ratio of 1.88. 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. VTR currently has a PEG ratio of 3.59.

Another notable valuation metric for XHR is its P/B ratio of 1.55. 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, VTR has a P/B of 1.79.

Based on these metrics and many more, XHR holds a Value grade of B, while VTR has a Value grade of D.

XHR is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that XHR is likely the superior value option right now.


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Ventas, Inc. (VTR) - free report >>

Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (XHR) - free report >>