UMBF or CBSH: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Midwest sector have probably already heard of UMB Financial (UMBF) and Commerce Bancshares (CBSH). 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.

There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

UMB Financial and Commerce Bancshares are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that UMBF has 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.

The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.

UMBF currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.68, while CBSH has a forward P/E of 12.46. We also note that UMBF has a PEG ratio of 0.83. 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. CBSH currently has a PEG ratio of 2.56.

Another notable valuation metric for UMBF is its P/B ratio of 1.19. 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, CBSH has a P/B of 1.77.

Based on these metrics and many more, UMBF holds a Value grade of B, while CBSH has a Value grade of C.

UMBF 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 UMBF is likely the superior value option right now.