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IFS or AXP: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Miscellaneous Services sector might want to consider either Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS - Free Report) or American Express (AXP - 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, Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while American Express has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that IFS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than AXP has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

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.

IFS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.42, while AXP has a forward P/E of 20.40. We also note that IFS has a PEG ratio of 0.34. 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. AXP currently has a PEG ratio of 1.51.

Another notable valuation metric for IFS is its P/B ratio of 1.41. 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, AXP has a P/B of 6.98.

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

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


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