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SWDBY vs. UOVEY: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors with an interest in Banks - Foreign stocks have likely encountered both Swedbank AB (SWDBY - Free Report) and United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOVEY - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, Swedbank AB has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while United Overseas Bank Ltd. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that SWDBY's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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.

SWDBY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 6.60, while UOVEY has a forward P/E of 8.94. We also note that SWDBY has a PEG ratio of 0.83. 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. UOVEY currently has a PEG ratio of 0.87.

Another notable valuation metric for SWDBY is its P/B ratio of 1.13. 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, UOVEY has a P/B of 1.22.

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

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


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United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOVEY) - free report >>

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