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BXP vs. NHI: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the REIT and Equity Trust - Other sector have probably already heard of Boston Properties (BXP - Free Report) and National Health Investors (NHI - 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.

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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Boston Properties has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while National Health Investors has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that BXP is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

BXP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.89, while NHI has a forward P/E of 14.11. We also note that BXP has a PEG ratio of 2.33. 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. NHI currently has a PEG ratio of 3.59.

Another notable valuation metric for BXP is its P/B ratio of 1.29. 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, NHI has a P/B of 2.06.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BXP's Value grade of B and NHI's Value grade of C.

BXP stands above NHI thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that BXP is the superior value option right now.

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