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CCL vs. MTN: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Leisure and Recreation Services sector might want to consider either Carnival (CCL - Free Report) or Vail Resorts (MTN - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Carnival has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Vail Resorts has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). This means that CCL's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle 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.

CCL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.51, while MTN has a forward P/E of 27.58. We also note that CCL has a PEG ratio of 1.23. 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. MTN currently has a PEG ratio of 11.17.

Another notable valuation metric for CCL is its P/B ratio of 2.63. 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, MTN has a P/B of 5.11.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to CCL's Value grade of A and MTN's Value grade of C.

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

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