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ESRT vs. NHI: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in REIT and Equity Trust - Other stocks are likely familiar with Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT - Free Report) and National Health Investors (NHI - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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 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.

Currently, both Empire State Realty Trust and National Health Investors are holding a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

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.

ESRT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.99, while NHI has a forward P/E of 18.31. We also note that ESRT has a PEG ratio of 6.81. 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. NHI currently has a PEG ratio of 8.72.

Another notable valuation metric for ESRT is its P/B ratio of 1.08. 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, NHI has a P/B of 2.89.

These metrics, and several others, help ESRT earn a Value grade of B, while NHI has been given a Value grade of D.

Both ESRT and NHI are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that ESRT is the superior value option right now.


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National Health Investors, Inc. (NHI) - free report >>

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT) - free report >>

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