EWBC vs. SIVB: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors with an interest in Banks - West stocks have likely encountered both East West Bancorp (EWBC) and SVB Financial (SIVB). 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, both East West Bancorp and SVB Financial are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy). This means that both companies have witnessed positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that both of these stocks have an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

EWBC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.75, while SIVB has a forward P/E of 19.67. We also note that EWBC has a PEG ratio of 1.28. 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. SIVB currently has a PEG ratio of 2.46.

Another notable valuation metric for EWBC is its P/B ratio of 1.92. 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, SIVB has a P/B of 3.26.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to EWBC's Value grade of B and SIVB's Value grade of D.

Both EWBC and SIVB are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that EWBC is the superior value option right now.

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East West Bancorp, Inc. (EWBC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
SVB Financial Group (SIVB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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