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HOG vs. TSLA: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Automotive - Domestic stocks have likely encountered both Harley-Davidson (HOG) and Tesla (TSLA). 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Harley-Davidson and Tesla are both sporting a Zacks Rank of # 1 (Strong Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.

HOG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.21, while TSLA has a forward P/E of 110.79. We also note that HOG has a PEG ratio of 1.12. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. TSLA currently has a PEG ratio of 2.85.

Another notable valuation metric for HOG is its P/B ratio of 2.37. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, TSLA has a P/B of 34.89.

These metrics, and several others, help HOG earn a Value grade of A, while TSLA has been given a Value grade of F.

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

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