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RE vs. RNR: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Insurance - Property and Casualty sector might want to consider either Everest Re or RenaissanceRe (RNR - 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.

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.

Everest Re has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while RenaissanceRe has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that RE's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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 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.

RE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.45, while RNR has a forward P/E of 10.99. We also note that RE has a PEG ratio of 1.05. 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. RNR currently has a PEG ratio of 1.16.

Another notable valuation metric for RE is its P/B ratio of 1.16. 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, RNR has a P/B of 1.24.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to RE's Value grade of A and RNR's Value grade of C.

RE is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that RE is likely the superior value option right now.


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