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PINE vs. EGP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the REIT and Equity Trust - Other sector might want to consider either Alpine Income (PINE - Free Report) or EastGroup Properties (EGP - 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.

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.

Alpine Income has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while EastGroup Properties has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PINE has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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.

PINE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.18, while EGP has a forward P/E of 18.45. We also note that PINE has a PEG ratio of 1.36. 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. EGP currently has a PEG ratio of 3.63.

Another notable valuation metric for PINE is its P/B ratio of 0.78. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, EGP has a P/B of 2.58.

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

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


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EastGroup Properties, Inc. (EGP) - free report >>

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