AVA or NEE: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
Investors interested in Utility - Electric Power stocks are likely familiar with Avista (AVA) and NextEra Energy (NEE). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
Right now, both Avista and NextEra Energy are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). 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 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.
AVA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 16.71, while NEE has a forward P/E of 23.64. We also note that AVA has a PEG ratio of 2.63. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. NEE currently has a PEG ratio of 2.82.
Another notable valuation metric for AVA is its P/B ratio of 1.16. 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, NEE has a P/B of 2.85.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to AVA's Value grade of B and NEE's Value grade of D.
Both AVA and NEE are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that AVA is the superior value option right now.
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Avista Corporation (AVA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
