Back to top

Image: Bigstock

UTL vs. MGEE: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Electric Power sector might want to consider either Unitil (UTL - Free Report) or MGE (MGEE - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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.

Currently, Unitil has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while MGE has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that UTL likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than MGEE has recently. But this is only part of the picture 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 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.

UTL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.91, while MGEE has a forward P/E of 26.98. We also note that UTL has a PEG ratio of 2.95. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. MGEE currently has a PEG ratio of 6.39.

Another notable valuation metric for UTL is its P/B ratio of 1.88. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, MGEE has a P/B of 2.83.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to UTL's Value grade of B and MGEE's Value grade of D.

UTL 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 UTL 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:


Unitil Corporation (UTL) - free report >>

MGE Energy Inc. (MGEE) - free report >>

Published in