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MTB vs. NTRS: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Banks - Major Regional stocks have likely encountered both M&T Bank Corporation (MTB - Free Report) and Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, both M&T Bank Corporation and Northern Trust Corporation are sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that both of these companies have improving earnings outlooks. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

MTB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.91, while NTRS has a forward P/E of 15.25. We also note that MTB has a PEG ratio of 0.96. 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. NTRS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.55.

Another notable valuation metric for MTB is its P/B ratio of 1.21. 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, NTRS has a P/B of 2.08.

These metrics, and several others, help MTB earn a Value grade of A, while NTRS has been given a Value grade of C.

Both MTB and NTRS are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that MTB is the superior value option right now.


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M&T Bank Corporation (MTB) - free report >>

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