Investors with an interest in Mining – Gold stocks have likely encountered both AngloGold (AU) and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM). But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We’ll need to take a closer look.
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.
Right now, AngloGold is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Agnico Eagle Mines has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that AU has an improving earnings outlook. But this is only part of the picture 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.
AU currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.75, while AEM has a forward P/E of 42.71. We also note that AU has a PEG ratio of 0.50. 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. AEM currently has a PEG ratio of 42.71.
Another notable valuation metric for AU is its P/B ratio of 3.54. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock’s market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, AEM has a P/B of 3.67.
Based on these metrics and many more, AU holds a Value grade of B, while AEM has a Value grade of D.
AU 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 AU is likely the superior value option right now.
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