KT or TSU: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Wireless Non-US sector have probably already heard of KT Corp. (KT) and TIM Participacoes S.A. (TSU). 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, KT Corp. is sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while TIM Participacoes S.A. has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that KT is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture 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.

KT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.09, while TSU has a forward P/E of 22.28. We also note that KT has a PEG ratio of 0.79. 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. TSU currently has a PEG ratio of 3.76.

Another notable valuation metric for KT is its P/B ratio of 0.46. 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, TSU has a P/B of 1.73.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to KT's Value grade of A and TSU's Value grade of C.

KT has seen stronger estimate revision activity and sports more attractive valuation metrics than TSU, so it seems like value investors will conclude that KT is the superior option right now.

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