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LAZ vs. HLNE: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Financial - Investment Management stocks are likely familiar with Lazard (LAZ - Free Report) and Hamilton Lane (HLNE - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Lazard and Hamilton Lane are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that LAZ'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 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.

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.

LAZ currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.09, while HLNE has a forward P/E of 27.41. We also note that LAZ has a PEG ratio of 1.21. 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. HLNE currently has a PEG ratio of 1.83.

Another notable valuation metric for LAZ is its P/B ratio of 6.63. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, HLNE has a P/B of 20.22.

These metrics, and several others, help LAZ earn a Value grade of B, while HLNE has been given a Value grade of F.

LAZ has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than HLNE, so it seems like value investors will conclude that LAZ is the superior option right now.


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Lazard, Inc. (LAZ) - free report >>

Hamilton Lane Inc. (HLNE) - free report >>