Back to top

Image: Bigstock

EBKDY vs. HDB: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Foreign sector have probably already heard of Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY - Free Report) and HDFC Bank (HDB - 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Erste Group Bank AG has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while HDFC Bank 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 EBKDY is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

EBKDY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.17, while HDB has a forward P/E of 24.35. We also note that EBKDY has a PEG ratio of 0.43. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HDB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.11.

Another notable valuation metric for EBKDY is its P/B ratio of 0.73. 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, HDB has a P/B of 3.92.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to EBKDY's Value grade of B and HDB's Value grade of C.

EBKDY 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 EBKDY is likely the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


HDFC Bank Limited (HDB) - free report >>

Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY) - free report >>

Published in