KB vs. SMFG: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?
Investors interested in Banks - Foreign stocks are likely familiar with KB Financial (KB) and Sumitomo Mitsui (SMFG). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.
There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
KB Financial and Sumitomo Mitsui are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that KB has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its 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.
KB currently has a forward P/E ratio of 3.96, while SMFG has a forward P/E of 10.09. We also note that KB has a PEG ratio of 0.32. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. SMFG currently has a PEG ratio of 1.90.
Another notable valuation metric for KB is its P/B ratio of 0.35. 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, SMFG has a P/B of 0.61.
These metrics, and several others, help KB earn a Value grade of A, while SMFG has been given a Value grade of C.
KB 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 KB is likely the superior value option right now.
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KB Financial Group Inc (KB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc (SMFG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
