Investors interested in REIT and Equity Trust - Other stocks are likely familiar with W.P. Carey (WPC) and CubeSmart (CUBE). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? 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 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.

W.P. Carey and CubeSmart are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #4 (Sell), respectively, right now. Investors should feel comfortable knowing that WPC likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than CUBE has recently. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when 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.

WPC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.31, while CUBE has a forward P/E of 16.64. We also note that WPC has a PEG ratio of 6. 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. CUBE currently has a PEG ratio of 13.31.

Another notable valuation metric for WPC is its P/B ratio of 1.57. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, CUBE has a P/B of 3.40.

Based on these metrics and many more, WPC holds a Value grade of B, while CUBE has a Value grade of D.

WPC 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 WPC is likely the superior value option right now.

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W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC):Free Stock Analysis Report

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

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