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HBI vs. VFC: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Textile - Apparel sector have probably already heard of HanesBrands (HBI - Free Report) and V.F. (VFC - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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.

Right now, HanesBrands is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while V.F. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that HBI has an improving earnings 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.

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.

HBI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.58, while VFC has a forward P/E of 62.24. We also note that HBI has a PEG ratio of 3.21. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. VFC currently has a PEG ratio of 5.31.

Another notable valuation metric for HBI is its P/B ratio of 4.97. 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, VFC has a P/B of 9.13.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to HBI's Value grade of B and VFC's Value grade of D.

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


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