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GOLD vs. AEM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the Mining - Gold sector have probably already heard of Barrick Gold (GOLD - Free Report) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Barrick Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines are sporting Zacks Ranks of #1 (Strong Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that GOLD has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture 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.

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.

GOLD currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.65, while AEM has a forward P/E of 21.01. We also note that GOLD has a PEG ratio of 0.48. 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. AEM currently has a PEG ratio of 0.74.

Another notable valuation metric for GOLD is its P/B ratio of 0.92. 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, AEM has a P/B of 1.68.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to GOLD's Value grade of B and AEM's Value grade of C.

GOLD 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 GOLD is likely the superior value option right now.


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Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) - free report >>

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