Investors interested in Utility – Electric Power stocks are likely familiar with Entergy (ETR) and NextEra Energy (NEE). 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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.
Right now, both Entergy 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. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.
Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.
ETR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 15.81, while NEE has a forward P/E of 21.18. We also note that ETR has a PEG ratio of 2.26. 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. NEE currently has a PEG ratio of 2.73.
Another notable valuation metric for ETR is its P/B ratio of 1.91. 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, NEE has a P/B of 2.27.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to ETR’s Value grade of B and NEE’s Value grade of D.
Both ETR and NEE are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that ETR is the superior value option right now.
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