Back to top

Image: Bigstock

IVZ vs. BLK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Investment Management sector might want to consider either Invesco (IVZ - Free Report) or BlackRock (BLK - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 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.

Currently, Invesco has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while BlackRock has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that IVZ likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than BLK has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.

IVZ currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.69, while BLK has a forward P/E of 22.91. We also note that IVZ has a PEG ratio of 0.86. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. BLK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.89.

Another notable valuation metric for IVZ is its P/B ratio of 0.95. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, BLK has a P/B of 3.04.

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

IVZ is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that IVZ is likely the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


BlackRock (BLK) - free report >>

Invesco Ltd. (IVZ) - free report >>

Published in