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UMC or IFNNY: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Electronics - Semiconductors stocks are likely familiar with United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC - Free Report) and Infineon Technologies AG (IFNNY - 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.

United Microelectronics Corporation and Infineon Technologies AG are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that UMC's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

UMC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.32, while IFNNY has a forward P/E of 26.33. We also note that UMC has a PEG ratio of 1.74. 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. IFNNY currently has a PEG ratio of 1.78.

Another notable valuation metric for UMC is its P/B ratio of 1.72. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, IFNNY has a P/B of 2.92.

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

UMC has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than IFNNY, so it seems like value investors will conclude that UMC is the superior option right now.


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