Investors looking for stocks in the REIT and Equity Trust - Residential sector might want to consider either Preferred Apartment Communities (APTS) or Essex Property Trust (ESS). 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.Preferred Apartment Communities and Essex Property Trust are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that APTS's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. 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 Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors.APTS currently has a forward P/E ratio of 11.56, while ESS has a forward P/E of 26.24. We also note that APTS has a PEG ratio of 1.65. 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. ESS currently has a PEG ratio of 8.81.Another notable valuation metric for APTS is its P/B ratio of 0.43. 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, ESS has a P/B of 3.44.Based on these metrics and many more, APTS holds a Value grade of A, while ESS has a Value grade of D.APTS sticks out from ESS in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that APTS is the better option right now. Time to Invest in Legal Marijuana If you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027. After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%. You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. (APTS): Free Stock Analysis Report Essex Property Trust, Inc. (ESS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.