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WAL vs. BOH: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors looking for stocks in the Banks - West sector might want to consider either Western Alliance (WAL) or Bank of Hawaii (BOH). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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 puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.

Western Alliance has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Bank of Hawaii has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that WAL's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst 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.

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.

WAL currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.23, while BOH has a forward P/E of 14.39. We also note that WAL has a PEG ratio of 0.81. 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. BOH currently has a PEG ratio of 1.92.

Another notable valuation metric for WAL is its P/B ratio of 1.68. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, BOH has a P/B of 2.60.

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

WAL has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than BOH, so it seems like value investors will conclude that WAL is the superior option right now.


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Western Alliance Bancorporation (WAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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