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

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Investors interested in Banks - Foreign stocks are likely familiar with Banco Santander (SAN - Free Report) and Sumitomo Mitsui (SMFG - 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.

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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Currently, Banco Santander has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Sumitomo Mitsui has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This means that SAN'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.

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.

SAN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.68, while SMFG has a forward P/E of 13.28. We also note that SAN has a PEG ratio of 0.40. 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 1.42.

Another notable valuation metric for SAN is its P/B ratio of 0.64. 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, SMFG has a P/B of 0.81.

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

SAN 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 SAN is likely the superior value option right now.


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Banco Santander, S.A. (SAN) - free report >>

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (SMFG) - free report >>

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