Back to top

Image: Bigstock

BBD vs. HDB: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - Foreign sector might want to consider either Banco Bradesco (BBD - Free Report) or HDFC Bank (HDB - 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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Banco Bradesco and HDFC Bank are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that BBD's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.

BBD currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.81, while HDB has a forward P/E of 22.94. We also note that BBD has a PEG ratio of 0.44. 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. HDB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.77.

Another notable valuation metric for BBD is its P/B ratio of 1.09. 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, HDB has a P/B of 2.95.

These metrics, and several others, help BBD earn a Value grade of B, while HDB has been given a Value grade of C.

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

Published in