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CCL vs. RCL: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Leisure and Recreation Services sector might want to consider either Carnival (CCL - Free Report) or Royal Caribbean (RCL - 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.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. 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, Carnival is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Royal Caribbean has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that CCL has an improving earnings outlook. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

CCL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.15, while RCL has a forward P/E of 18.85. We also note that CCL has a PEG ratio of 0.89. 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. RCL currently has a PEG ratio of 1.04.

Another notable valuation metric for CCL is its P/B ratio of 3.55. 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, RCL has a P/B of 9.55.

Based on these metrics and many more, CCL holds a Value grade of A, while RCL has a Value grade of C.

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


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