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TAP or DEO: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors with an interest in Beverages - Alcohol stocks have likely encountered both Molson Coors Brewing (TAP - Free Report) and Diageo (DEO - 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 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.

Right now, Molson Coors Brewing is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Diageo has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that TAP has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

TAP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.38, while DEO has a forward P/E of 17.94. We also note that TAP has a PEG ratio of 1.70. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. DEO currently has a PEG ratio of 2.45.

Another notable valuation metric for TAP is its P/B ratio of 1.02. 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, DEO has a P/B of 8.09.

These metrics, and several others, help TAP earn a Value grade of A, while DEO has been given a Value grade of C.

TAP 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 TAP is likely the superior value option right now.


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Molson Coors Beverage Company (TAP) - free report >>

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