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TJX or COST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Retail - Discount Stores stocks are likely familiar with TJX (TJX - Free Report) and Costco (COST - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

TJX and Costco are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that TJX likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than COST has recently. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

TJX currently has a forward P/E ratio of 24.48, while COST has a forward P/E of 49.63. We also note that TJX has a PEG ratio of 2.56. 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. COST currently has a PEG ratio of 5.24.

Another notable valuation metric for TJX is its P/B ratio of 15.65. 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, COST has a P/B of 17.

These metrics, and several others, help TJX earn a Value grade of B, while COST has been given a Value grade of C.

TJX stands above COST thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that TJX is the superior value option right now.


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