NOAH vs. PFG: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

PFG NOAH

Investors interested in Financial - Investment Management stocks are likely familiar with Noah Holdings (NOAH - Free Report) and Principal Financial (PFG - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. 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, Noah Holdings has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Principal Financial has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). This means that NOAH'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.

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.

NOAH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.79, while PFG has a forward P/E of 10.63. We also note that NOAH has a PEG ratio of 0.57. 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. PFG currently has a PEG ratio of 2.20.

Another notable valuation metric for NOAH is its P/B ratio of 0.81. 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, PFG has a P/B of 1.37.

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

NOAH 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 NOAH is likely the superior value option right now.

7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."

Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.2% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. 

See them now >>