When It’s Value vs. Growth, History Is on Value’s Side

Historically, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in the United States, though recently that hasn’t been the case. While disappointing periods emerge from time to time, the principle that lower relative prices lead to higher expected returns remains the same.

• Data covering nearly a century backs up the notion that value stocks – those with lower relative prices – have higher expected returns. On average, they have outperformed growth stocks by 4.54% annually since 1928.
• But there are no guarantees, and results vary over time. Growth stocks have recently outperformed value stocks. That outperformance has been a stark departure from long‑term averages.
• While there’s no way to know where stocks are going next, value has trailed growth in the past before rebounding strongly.