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ACI or KMB: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Consumer Products - Staples sector might want to consider either Albertsons Companies, Inc. (ACI - Free Report) or Kimberly-Clark (KMB - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Kimberly-Clark has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that ACI is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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 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.

ACI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.82, while KMB has a forward P/E of 22.55. We also note that ACI has a PEG ratio of 1.23. 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. KMB currently has a PEG ratio of 4.51.

Another notable valuation metric for ACI is its P/B ratio of 5.85. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, KMB has a P/B of 60.87.

These metrics, and several others, help ACI earn a Value grade of A, while KMB has been given a Value grade of D.

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


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