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HBAN vs. CBSH: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Midwest sector have probably already heard of Huntington Bancshares (HBAN - Free Report) and Commerce Bancshares (CBSH - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Huntington Bancshares has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Commerce Bancshares has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that HBAN's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

HBAN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.29, while CBSH has a forward P/E of 16.10. We also note that HBAN has a PEG ratio of 1.24. 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. CBSH currently has a PEG ratio of 4.34.

Another notable valuation metric for HBAN is its P/B ratio of 1.28. 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, CBSH has a P/B of 2.52.

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

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


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Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (HBAN) - free report >>

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