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BAP vs. HDB: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in Banks - Foreign stocks are likely familiar with Credicorp (BAP - Free Report) and HDFC Bank (HDB - 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Right now, Credicorp is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while HDFC Bank has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that BAP likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than HDB has recently. But this is only part of the picture 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.

BAP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.77, while HDB has a forward P/E of 23.72. We also note that BAP has a PEG ratio of 0.70. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. HDB currently has a PEG ratio of 1.93.

Another notable valuation metric for BAP is its P/B ratio of 2.08. 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 2.92.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BAP's Value grade of B and HDB's Value grade of D.

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


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