Investors interested in stocks from the Transportation - Shipping sector have probably already heard of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM Quick QuoteZIM - Free Report) and Kirby (KEX Quick QuoteKEX - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? 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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Kirby has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that ZIM has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its 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.

ZIM currently has a forward P/E ratio of 2.66, while KEX has a forward P/E of 21.45. We also note that ZIM has a PEG ratio of 0.08. 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. KEX currently has a PEG ratio of 0.72.

Another notable valuation metric for ZIM is its P/B ratio of 0.88. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, KEX has a P/B of 2.09.

Based on these metrics and many more, ZIM holds a Value grade of A, while KEX has a Value grade of C.

ZIM sticks out from KEX in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that ZIM is the better option right now.