HMST vs. PFS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

PFS HMST

Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Savings and Loan sector might want to consider either HomeStreet (HMST - Free Report) or Provident Financial (PFS - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive 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.

HomeStreet has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Provident Financial has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that HMST likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than PFS has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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.

HMST currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.47, while PFS has a forward P/E of 13.32. We also note that HMST has a PEG ratio of 1.35. 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. PFS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.67.

Another notable valuation metric for HMST 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, PFS has a P/B of 1.23.

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

HMST 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 HMST is likely the superior value option right now.

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