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TGT vs. ROST: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Retail - Discount Stores sector might want to consider either Target (TGT - Free Report) or Ross Stores (ROST - 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Target is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Ross Stores has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that TGT's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

TGT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.38, while ROST has a forward P/E of 24.64. We also note that TGT has a PEG ratio of 1.16. 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. ROST currently has a PEG ratio of 2.08.

Another notable valuation metric for TGT is its P/B ratio of 5.52. 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, ROST has a P/B of 10.58.

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

TGT sticks out from ROST in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that TGT is the better option right now.


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Target Corporation (TGT) - free report >>

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