KAR vs. RGS: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Retail - Miscellaneous sector have probably already heard of KAR Auction Services (KAR) and Regis (RGS). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now? Let's take a closer look.

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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

KAR Auction Services and Regis are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that KAR is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. 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.

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.

KAR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 20.55, while RGS has a forward P/E of 22.98. We also note that KAR has a PEG ratio of 1.42. 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. RGS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.06.

Another notable valuation metric for KAR is its P/B ratio of 1.89. 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, RGS has a P/B of 2.58.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to KAR's Value grade of A and RGS's Value grade of D.

KAR 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 KAR is likely the superior value option right now.

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KAR Auction Services, Inc (KAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Regis Corporation (RGS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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