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IFS vs. AXP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

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Investors interested in Financial - Miscellaneous Services stocks are likely familiar with Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS - Free Report) and American Express (AXP - 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.

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 favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Intercorp Financial Services Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while American Express has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that IFS likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than AXP has recently. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

IFS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 8.71, while AXP has a forward P/E of 20.86. We also note that IFS has a PEG ratio of 0.35. 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. AXP currently has a PEG ratio of 1.54.

Another notable valuation metric for IFS is its P/B ratio of 1.46. 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, AXP has a P/B of 7.12.

These metrics, and several others, help IFS earn a Value grade of A, while AXP has been given a Value grade of C.

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

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