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TRTX vs. WSC: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Real Estate - Operations stocks are likely familiar with TPG RE Finance Trust (TRTX - Free Report) and WillScot (WSC - 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Right now, TPG RE Finance Trust is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while WillScot has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that TRTX is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 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.

TRTX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.89, while WSC has a forward P/E of 23.36. We also note that TRTX has a PEG ratio of 0.24. 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. WSC currently has a PEG ratio of 2.17.

Another notable valuation metric for TRTX is its P/B ratio of 0.65. 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, WSC has a P/B of 6.29.

These metrics, and several others, help TRTX earn a Value grade of B, while WSC has been given a Value grade of D.

TRTX 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 TRTX is likely the superior value option right now.


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WillScot Holdings Corporation (WSC) - free report >>

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