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IBKC vs. VBTX: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Southeast sector have probably already heard of Iberiabank and Veritex Holdings (VBTX - 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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Iberiabank has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Veritex Holdings has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that IBKC is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

IBKC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.69, while VBTX has a forward P/E of 12.93. We also note that IBKC has a PEG ratio of 1.21. 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. VBTX currently has a PEG ratio of 1.85.

Another notable valuation metric for IBKC is its P/B ratio of 0.94. 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, VBTX has a P/B of 1.

Based on these metrics and many more, IBKC holds a Value grade of B, while VBTX has a Value grade of D.

IBKC sticks out from VBTX in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that IBKC is the better option right now.


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