TNK vs. KEX: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

KEX TNK

Investors looking for stocks in the Transportation - Shipping sector might want to consider either Teekay Tankers (TNK - Free Report) or Kirby (KEX - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's 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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Teekay Tankers and Kirby are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 1 (Strong Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

TNK currently has a forward P/E ratio of 4.46, while KEX has a forward P/E of 22.04. We also note that TNK has a PEG ratio of 1.49. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. KEX currently has a PEG ratio of 1.84.

Another notable valuation metric for TNK is its P/B ratio of 1.42. 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, KEX has a P/B of 2.09.

Based on these metrics and many more, TNK holds a Value grade of A, while KEX has a Value grade of D.

Both TNK and KEX are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that TNK is the superior value option right now.

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