MOFG vs. TCF: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors interested in stocks from the Banks – Midwest sector have probably already heard of MidWestOne (MOFG) and TCF Financial (TCF). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We’ll need to take a closer look.

We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great 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.

MidWestOne and TCF Financial are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that MOFG likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than TCF has recently. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

MOFG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.77, while TCF has a forward P/E of 11.85. We also note that MOFG has a PEG ratio of 1.10. 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. TCF currently has a PEG ratio of 1.15.

Another notable valuation metric for MOFG is its P/B ratio of 0.95. 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, TCF has a P/B of 1.59.

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

MOFG stands above TCF thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that MOFG is the superior value option right now.

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