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ZION vs. FRC: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - West sector might want to consider either Zions (ZION - Free Report) or First Republic Bank . But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Zions and First Republic Bank are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that ZION likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than FRC has recently. 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 Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

ZION currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.45, while FRC has a forward P/E of 20.71. We also note that ZION has a PEG ratio of 1.45. 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. FRC currently has a PEG ratio of 1.63.

Another notable valuation metric for ZION is its P/B ratio of 1.49. 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, FRC has a P/B of 2.24.

Based on these metrics and many more, ZION holds a Value grade of A, while FRC has a Value grade of D.

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


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