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SWX vs. OKE: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Utility - Gas Distribution sector might want to consider either Southwest Gas (SWX - Free Report) or Oneok Inc. (OKE - 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.

Southwest Gas and Oneok Inc. are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), respectively, right now. This means that SWX's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

SWX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 19.64, while OKE has a forward P/E of 24.70. We also note that SWX has a PEG ratio of 3.27. 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. OKE currently has a PEG ratio of 4.12.

Another notable valuation metric for SWX is its P/B ratio of 1.59. 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, OKE has a P/B of 3.03.

These metrics, and several others, help SWX earn a Value grade of B, while OKE has been given a Value grade of D.

SWX 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 SWX is likely the superior value option right now.


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