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KR vs. WMT: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Retail - Supermarkets sector have probably already heard of Kroger (KR) and Walmart (WMT). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's 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 Zacks Rank is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Kroger and Walmart are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that KR's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their 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.

KR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 13.13, while WMT has a forward P/E of 25.32. We also note that KR has a PEG ratio of 2.69. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. WMT currently has a PEG ratio of 5.13.

Another notable valuation metric for KR is its P/B ratio of 3.02. 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, WMT has a P/B of 4.75.

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

KR 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 KR is likely the superior value option right now.


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The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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