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TEF or TU: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Diversified Communication Services sector have probably already heard of Telefonica (TEF - Free Report) and Telus (TU - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Telefonica has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Telus has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that TEF has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks 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.

TEF currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.07, while TU has a forward P/E of 20.33. We also note that TEF has a PEG ratio of 0.57. 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. TU currently has a PEG ratio of 2.05.

Another notable valuation metric for TEF is its P/B ratio of 0.57. 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, TU has a P/B of 2.20.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to TEF's Value grade of A and TU's Value grade of C.

TEF 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 TEF is likely the superior value option right now.


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