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SEIC or ARES: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Financial - Investment Management stocks have likely encountered both SEI Investments (SEIC - Free Report) and Ares Management (ARES - 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, SEI Investments has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Ares Management has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that SEIC's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

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.

SEIC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 17.48, while ARES has a forward P/E of 24.34. We also note that SEIC has a PEG ratio of 1.46. 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. ARES currently has a PEG ratio of 3.51.

Another notable valuation metric for SEIC is its P/B ratio of 4.46. 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, ARES has a P/B of 5.97.

These metrics, and several others, help SEIC earn a Value grade of B, while ARES has been given a Value grade of D.

SEIC 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 SEIC is likely the superior value option right now.


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