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HSBC vs. NABZY: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - Foreign sector might want to consider either HSBC (HSBC - Free Report) or National Australia Bank Ltd. (NABZY - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, HSBC has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while National Australia Bank Ltd. has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that HSBC likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than NABZY has recently. 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.

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.

HSBC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.16, while NABZY has a forward P/E of 11.66. We also note that HSBC has a PEG ratio of 0.34. 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. NABZY currently has a PEG ratio of 0.99.

Another notable valuation metric for HSBC is its P/B ratio of 0.52. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, NABZY has a P/B of 1.34.

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

HSBC stands above NABZY thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that HSBC is the superior value option right now.


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National Australia Bank Ltd. (NABZY) - free report >>

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