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LYG or SMFG: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - Foreign sector might want to consider either Lloyds (LYG - Free Report) or Sumitomo Mitsui (SMFG - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Lloyds has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Sumitomo Mitsui has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that LYG's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

LYG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.18, while SMFG has a forward P/E of 9.10. We also note that LYG has a PEG ratio of 0.68. 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. SMFG currently has a PEG ratio of 1.44.

Another notable valuation metric for LYG is its P/B ratio of 0.59. 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, SMFG has a P/B of 0.60.

Based on these metrics and many more, LYG holds a Value grade of B, while SMFG has a Value grade of C.

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


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Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LYG) - free report >>

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