Back to top

Image: Bigstock

POR vs. IDA: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Electric Power sector might want to consider either PGE (POR - Free Report) or IdaCorp (IDA - 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, PGE has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while IdaCorp has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that POR's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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.

POR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.28, while IDA has a forward P/E of 22.23. We also note that POR has a PEG ratio of 6.15. 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. IDA currently has a PEG ratio of 7.99.

Another notable valuation metric for POR is its P/B ratio of 1.61. 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, IDA has a P/B of 2.08.

Based on these metrics and many more, POR holds a Value grade of B, while IDA has a Value grade of C.

POR sticks out from IDA in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that POR is the better option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


IDACORP, Inc. (IDA) - free report >>

Portland General Electric Company (POR) - free report >>

Published in