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LYG vs. HDB: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Foreign sector have probably already heard of Lloyds (LYG - 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.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

Lloyds and HDFC Bank are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. This means that LYG'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 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.

LYG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.21, while HDB has a forward P/E of 17.85. We also note that LYG has a PEG ratio of 0.20. 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 0.80.

Another notable valuation metric for LYG is its P/B ratio of 0.52. 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 3.09.

These metrics, and several others, help LYG earn a Value grade of B, while HDB has been given a Value grade of C.

LYG has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than HDB, so it seems like value investors will conclude that LYG is the superior option right now.


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