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CRI or NKE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Shoes and Retail Apparel stocks are likely familiar with Carter's (CRI - Free Report) and Nike (NKE - 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 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.

Currently, Carter's has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Nike has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that CRI has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

CRI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.50, while NKE has a forward P/E of 31.71. We also note that CRI has a PEG ratio of 3.51. 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. NKE currently has a PEG ratio of 4.52.

Another notable valuation metric for CRI is its P/B ratio of 1.1. 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, NKE has a P/B of 3.77.

Based on these metrics and many more, CRI holds a Value grade of A, while NKE has a Value grade of F.

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

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