Back to top

Image: Bigstock

FIS or FOUR: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors interested in stocks from the Financial Transaction Services sector have probably already heard of Fidelity National Information Services (FIS - Free Report) and Shift4 Payments (FOUR - 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.

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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Fidelity National Information Services has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Shift4 Payments has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that FIS is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

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.

FIS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.84, while FOUR has a forward P/E of 25.76. We also note that FIS has a PEG ratio of 0.60. 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. FOUR currently has a PEG ratio of 0.98.

Another notable valuation metric for FIS is its P/B ratio of 2.61. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, FOUR has a P/B of 9.85.

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

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) - free report >>

Shift4 Payments, Inc. (FOUR) - free report >>

Published in