NLY vs. HASI: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

NLY HASI

Investors interested in REIT and Equity Trust stocks are likely familiar with Annaly Capital Management (NLY - Free Report) and Hannon Armstrong (HASI - 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.

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

Currently, Annaly Capital Management has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Hannon Armstrong has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that NLY's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

NLY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.25, while HASI has a forward P/E of 29.21. We also note that NLY has a PEG ratio of 1.45. 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. HASI currently has a PEG ratio of 3.47.

Another notable valuation metric for NLY is its P/B ratio of 0.98. 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, HASI has a P/B of 2.85.

These metrics, and several others, help NLY earn a Value grade of B, while HASI has been given a Value grade of D.

NLY stands above HASI thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that NLY is the superior value option right now.

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