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PINE or EGP: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in stocks from the REIT and Equity Trust - Other sector have probably already heard of Alpine Income (PINE - Free Report) and EastGroup Properties (EGP - 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.

Both Alpine Income and EastGroup Properties have a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. 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.

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.

PINE currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.09, while EGP has a forward P/E of 22.57. We also note that PINE has a PEG ratio of 1.85. 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. EGP currently has a PEG ratio of 2.81.

Another notable valuation metric for PINE is its P/B ratio of 0.93. 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, EGP has a P/B of 3.31.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to PINE's Value grade of B and EGP's Value grade of F.

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


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EastGroup Properties, Inc. (EGP) - free report >>

Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (PINE) - free report >>

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