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BIG or TJX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Retail - Discount Stores sector might want to consider either Big Lots (BIG - Free Report) or TJX (TJX - 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.

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.

Currently, both Big Lots and TJX are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

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.

BIG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.73, while TJX has a forward P/E of 22. We also note that BIG has a PEG ratio of 0.89. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. TJX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.07.

Another notable valuation metric for BIG is its P/B ratio of 2.98. 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, TJX has a P/B of 12.87.

These metrics, and several others, help BIG earn a Value grade of A, while TJX has been given a Value grade of C.

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


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