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MS or TW: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Financial - Investment Bank sector have probably already heard of Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) and Tradeweb Markets (TW - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Morgan Stanley has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Tradeweb Markets has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that MS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than TW has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

MS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.93, while TW has a forward P/E of 43.64. We also note that MS has a PEG ratio of 2.11. 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. TW currently has a PEG ratio of 2.42.

Another notable valuation metric for MS is its P/B ratio of 1.66. 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, TW has a P/B of 3.59.

Based on these metrics and many more, MS holds a Value grade of B, while TW has a Value grade of F.

MS 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 MS is likely the superior value option right now.


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