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VCTR or ARES: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Financial - Investment Management stocks are likely familiar with Victory Capital Holdings (VCTR - Free Report) and Ares Management (ARES - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Victory Capital Holdings has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Ares Management has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that VCTR is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 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.

VCTR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.31, while ARES has a forward P/E of 28.42. We also note that VCTR has a PEG ratio of 0.52. 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. ARES currently has a PEG ratio of 0.96.

Another notable valuation metric for VCTR is its P/B ratio of 2.62. 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, ARES has a P/B of 9.03.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to VCTR's Value grade of B and ARES's Value grade of F.

VCTR stands above ARES thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that VCTR is the superior value option right now.


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