EPR vs. FRT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Investors with an interest in REIT and Equity Trust - Retail stocks have likely encountered both EPR Properties (EPR) and Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

EPR Properties has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Federal Realty Investment Trust has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. This means that EPR's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether 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.

EPR currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.92, while FRT has a forward P/E of 15.55. We also note that EPR has a PEG ratio of 2.24. 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. FRT currently has a PEG ratio of 2.70.

Another notable valuation metric for EPR is its P/B ratio of 2. 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, FRT has a P/B of 3.09.

These metrics, and several others, help EPR earn a Value grade of B, while FRT has been given a Value grade of C.

EPR 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 EPR is likely the superior value option right now.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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