Investors interested in stocks from the Oil and Gas - Integrated - International sector have probably already heard of TOTAL SE (TOT) and Exxon Mobil (XOM). 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, both TOTAL SE and Exxon Mobil are sporting a Zacks Rank of # 1 (Strong Buy). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

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.

TOT currently has a forward P/E ratio of 10.99, while XOM has a forward P/E of 17.41. We also note that TOT has a PEG ratio of 0.58. 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. XOM currently has a PEG ratio of 1.47.

Another notable valuation metric for TOT is its P/B ratio of 1.14. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, XOM has a P/B of 1.61.

These metrics, and several others, help TOT earn a Value grade of A, while XOM has been given a Value grade of C.

Both TOT and XOM are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that TOT is the superior value option right now.

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