Investors interested in Retail - Apparel and Shoes stocks are likely familiar with American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) and Figs (FIGS). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.

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 is a proven strategy that targets companies with positive earnings estimate revision trends, while our Style Scores work to grade companies based on specific traits.

Currently, American Eagle Outfitters has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Figs has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that AEO's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. However, value investors will care about much more than just this.

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.

AEO currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.73, while FIGS has a forward P/E of 222.33. We also note that AEO has a PEG ratio of 0.95. 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. FIGS currently has a PEG ratio of 88.93.

Another notable valuation metric for AEO is its P/B ratio of 2.16. 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, FIGS has a P/B of 2.83.

Based on these metrics and many more, AEO holds a Value grade of A, while FIGS has a Value grade of C.

AEO stands above FIGS thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that AEO is the superior value option right now.

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American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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