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AXP or MCO: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

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Investors interested in Financial - Miscellaneous Services stocks are likely familiar with American Express (AXP - Free Report) and Moody's (MCO - 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 proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

American Express and Moody's are both sporting 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 just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

AXP currently has a forward P/E ratio of 21.47, while MCO has a forward P/E of 39.54. We also note that AXP has a PEG ratio of 1.65. 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. MCO currently has a PEG ratio of 3.11.

Another notable valuation metric for AXP is its P/B ratio of 6.82. 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, MCO has a P/B of 21.25.

These metrics, and several others, help AXP earn a Value grade of B, while MCO has been given a Value grade of F.

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


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