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TGS or MPLX: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines sector have probably already heard of Transportadora De Gas Sa Ord B (TGS - Free Report) and MPLX LP (MPLX - 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.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. 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.

Transportadora De Gas Sa Ord B has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while MPLX LP has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that TGS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 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.

TGS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.89, while MPLX has a forward P/E of 13.48. We also note that TGS has a PEG ratio of 1.15. 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. MPLX currently has a PEG ratio of 5.46.

Another notable valuation metric for TGS is its P/B ratio of 1.98. 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, MPLX has a P/B of 4.04.

Based on these metrics and many more, TGS holds a Value grade of B, while MPLX has a Value grade of C.

TGS 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 TGS is likely the superior value option right now.

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