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KEP vs. IDA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Electric Power sector might want to consider either Korea Electric Power (KEP - Free Report) or IdaCorp (IDA - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Korea Electric Power has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while IdaCorp has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that KEP's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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 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.

KEP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.09, while IDA has a forward P/E of 20.55. We also note that KEP has a PEG ratio of 3.42. 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. IDA currently has a PEG ratio of 7.82.

Another notable valuation metric for KEP is its P/B ratio of 0.18. 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, IDA has a P/B of 1.91.

These metrics, and several others, help KEP earn a Value grade of A, while IDA has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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