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BMA vs. NABZY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Foreign sector have probably already heard of Banco Macro (BMA - Free Report) and National Australia Bank Ltd. (NABZY - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Banco Macro is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while National Australia Bank Ltd. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that BMA's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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.

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.

BMA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.83, while NABZY has a forward P/E of 14.91. We also note that BMA has a PEG ratio of 0.29. 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. NABZY currently has a PEG ratio of 4.80.

Another notable valuation metric for BMA 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, NABZY has a P/B of 1.89.

Based on these metrics and many more, BMA holds a Value grade of A, while NABZY has a Value grade of D.

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

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