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VIRT vs. BX: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Financial - Miscellaneous Services stocks are likely familiar with Virtu Financial (VIRT - Free Report) and Blackstone Inc. (BX - 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.

Everyone has their own methods for finding great value opportunities, but our model includes pairing an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system with a strong Zacks Rank. The proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Currently, Virtu Financial has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Blackstone Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that VIRT likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than BX has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors analyze a variety of traditional, tried-and-true metrics to help find companies that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

VIRT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.47, while BX has a forward P/E of 38.37. We also note that VIRT has a PEG ratio of 0.41. 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. BX currently has a PEG ratio of 1.44.

Another notable valuation metric for VIRT is its P/B ratio of 3.58. 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, BX has a P/B of 6.53.

These metrics, and several others, help VIRT earn a Value grade of A, while BX has been given a Value grade of D.

VIRT is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that VIRT is likely the superior value option right now.


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