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FI or EFX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Financial Transaction Services sector have probably already heard of Fiserv (FI - Free Report) and Equifax (EFX - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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.

Right now, both Fiserv and Equifax are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

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.

FI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.42, while EFX has a forward P/E of 30.01. We also note that FI has a PEG ratio of 1.14. 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. EFX currently has a PEG ratio of 2.22.

Another notable valuation metric for FI is its P/B ratio of 2.78. 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, EFX has a P/B of 6.96.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to FI's Value grade of B and EFX's Value grade of C.

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


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