Back to top

Image: Bigstock

BEN vs. FII: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Investment Management sector might want to consider either Franklin Resources (BEN - Free Report) or Federated Investors . 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Franklin Resources has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Federated Investors has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that BEN is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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 highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.

BEN currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.68, while FII has a forward P/E of 13.77. We also note that BEN has a PEG ratio of 1.95. 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. FII currently has a PEG ratio of 2.01.

Another notable valuation metric for BEN is its P/B ratio of 1.70. 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, FII has a P/B of 3.73.

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

BEN 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 BEN is likely the superior value option right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) - free report >>

Published in