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CRI or NKE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Shoes and Retail Apparel stocks have likely encountered both Carter's (CRI - Free Report) and Nike (NKE - 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, both Carter's and Nike are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. But this is only part of the picture 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.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

CRI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.87, while NKE has a forward P/E of 35.81. We also note that CRI has a PEG ratio of 1.04. 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. NKE currently has a PEG ratio of 2.46.

Another notable valuation metric for CRI is its P/B ratio of 4.32. 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, NKE has a P/B of 14.01.

Based on these metrics and many more, CRI holds a Value grade of A, while NKE has a Value grade of D.

Both CRI and NKE are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that CRI is the superior value option right now.


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