Back to top

Image: Bigstock

SYF vs. BAM: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Investors with an interest in Financial - Miscellaneous Services stocks have likely encountered both Synchrony (SYF - Free Report) and Brookfield Asset Management (BAM - 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.

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 emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, Synchrony is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Brookfield Asset Management has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that SYF is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

SYF currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.26, while BAM has a forward P/E of 36. We also note that SYF has a PEG ratio of 1.26. 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. BAM currently has a PEG ratio of 2.47.

Another notable valuation metric for SYF is its P/B ratio of 1.51. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, BAM has a P/B of 7.02.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to SYF's Value grade of A and BAM's Value grade of D.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (BAM) - free report >>

Synchrony Financial (SYF) - free report >>

Published in