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STM vs. TXN: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Semiconductor - General sector might want to consider either STMicroelectronics (STM - Free Report) or Texas Instruments (TXN - 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.

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 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, STMicroelectronics is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Texas Instruments 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 STM is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

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.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

STM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.62, while TXN has a forward P/E of 17.09. We also note that STM has a PEG ratio of 1.52. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. TXN currently has a PEG ratio of 1.83.

Another notable valuation metric for STM is its P/B ratio of 2.50. 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, TXN has a P/B of 9.92.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to STM's Value grade of A and TXN's Value grade of C.

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


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