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PB vs. CFR: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - Southwest sector might want to consider either Prosperity Bancshares (PB - Free Report) or Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR - 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.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Prosperity Bancshares has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Cullen/Frost Bankers has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that PB has an improving earnings outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

PB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.39, while CFR has a forward P/E of 14.10. We also note that PB has a PEG ratio of 0.73. 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. CFR currently has a PEG ratio of 2.35.

Another notable valuation metric for PB is its P/B ratio of 0.82. 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, CFR has a P/B of 2.14.

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

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

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