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CATM vs. FISV: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Financial Transaction Services stocks have likely encountered both Cardtronics and Fiserv . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

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

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 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.

CATM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.72, while FISV has a forward P/E of 25.64. We also note that CATM has a PEG ratio of 1.39. 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. FISV currently has a PEG ratio of 2.23.

Another notable valuation metric for CATM is its P/B ratio of 3.84. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FISV has a P/B of 12.02.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to CATM's Value grade of A and FISV's Value grade of D.

CATM 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 CATM is likely the superior value option right now.

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