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NMIH vs. BRK.B: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Insurance - Property and Casualty sector have probably already heard of NMI Holdings (NMIH - Free Report) and Berkshire Hathaway B (BRK.B - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to 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.

Both NMI Holdings and Berkshire Hathaway B have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook since the Zacks Rank favors companies that have witnessed positive analyst estimate revisions. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

NMIH currently has a forward P/E ratio of 7.34, while BRK.B has a forward P/E of 22.26. We also note that NMIH has a PEG ratio of 0.70. 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. BRK.B currently has a PEG ratio of 3.18.

Another notable valuation metric for NMIH is its P/B ratio of 1.28. 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, BRK.B has a P/B of 1.47.

These metrics, and several others, help NMIH earn a Value grade of A, while BRK.B has been given a Value grade of D.

Both NMIH and BRK.B are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that NMIH is the superior value option right now.


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