Investors interested in stocks from the Banks - Foreign sector have probably already heard of Shinhan Financial (SHG) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS). 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 Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Right now, Shinhan Financial is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Bank of Nova Scotia has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that SHG has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.

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.

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.

SHG currently has a forward P/E ratio of 5.40, while BNS has a forward P/E of 11.10. We also note that SHG has a PEG ratio of 0.55. 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. BNS currently has a PEG ratio of 1.24.

Another notable valuation metric for SHG is its P/B ratio of 0.42. 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, BNS has a P/B of 1.23.

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

SHG sticks out from BNS in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that SHG is the better option right now.

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Shinhan Financial Group Co Ltd (SHG):Free Stock Analysis Report

Bank of Nova Scotia (The) (BNS):Free Stock Analysis Report

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