AXS vs. BRK.B: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

BRK.B AXS

Investors looking for stocks in the Insurance - Property and Casualty sector might want to consider either Axis Capital (AXS - Free Report) or Berkshire Hathaway B (BRK.B - 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.

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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Axis Capital has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Berkshire Hathaway B 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 AXS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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.

AXS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.54, while BRK.B has a forward P/E of 22.79. We also note that AXS has a PEG ratio of 1.31. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. BRK.B currently has a PEG ratio of 3.26.

Another notable valuation metric for AXS is its P/B ratio of 1.05. 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, BRK.B has a P/B of 1.43.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to AXS's Value grade of A and BRK.B's Value grade of D.

AXS 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 AXS is likely the superior value option right now.

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