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CAG or MDLZ: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Food - Miscellaneous sector might want to consider either Conagra Brands (CAG - Free Report) or Mondelez (MDLZ - 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.

Conagra Brands has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Mondelez has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that CAG likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than MDLZ has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.

CAG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.28, while MDLZ has a forward P/E of 24.63. We also note that CAG has a PEG ratio of 2.09. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. MDLZ currently has a PEG ratio of 3.08.

Another notable valuation metric for CAG is its P/B ratio of 1.95. 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, MDLZ has a P/B of 3.77.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to CAG's Value grade of B and MDLZ's Value grade of C.

CAG is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that CAG is likely the superior value option right now.


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