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INN vs. HCP: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors with an interest in REIT and Equity Trust - Other stocks have likely encountered both Summit Hotel Properties (INN - Free Report) and HCP (HCP - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Summit Hotel Properties has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while HCP has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that INN likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than HCP has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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 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.

INN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.19, while HCP has a forward P/E of 13.59. We also note that INN has a PEG ratio of 4.20. 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. HCP currently has a PEG ratio of 6.21.

Another notable valuation metric for INN is its P/B ratio of 1.08. 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, HCP has a P/B of 2.14.

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

INN 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 INN is likely the superior value option right now.


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