5 Low Price-to-Book Stocks to Build Your Portfolio
Price to earnings (P/E) and price to sales (P/S) are the first ratios that come to an investor’s mind while narrowing down a list of undervalued stocks. However, the price-to-book ratio (P/B ratio), though underrated, is also an easy-to-use valuation tool for identifying low-priced stocks with high-growth prospects.
P/B ratio is calculated as below:
P/B ratio = market capitalization/book value of equity.
The P/B ratio helps to identify low-priced stocks that have high growth prospects. US Foods Holding Corp USFD, Signet Jewelers SIG, Celestica CLS, Delek US Holdings DK and HF Sinclair Corporation DINO are some such stocks.
Now let us understand the concept of book value.
What’s Book Value?
Book value is the total value that would be left over, according to the company’s balance sheet, if it goes bankrupt immediately. In other words, this is what shareholders would theoretically receive if a company liquidates all its assets after paying off all its liabilities.
It is calculated by subtracting total liabilities from the total assets of a company. In most cases, this equates to the common stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet. However, depending on the company’s balance sheet, intangible assets should also be subtracted from the total assets to determine book value.
Understanding P/B Ratio
By comparing the book value of equity to its market price, we get an idea of whether a company is under-or overpriced. However, like P/E or P/S ratio, it is always better to compare P/B ratios within industries.
A P/B ratio of less than one means that the stock is trading at less than its book value, or the stock is undervalued and, therefore a good buy. Conversely, a stock with a ratio greater than one can be interpreted as being overvalued or relatively expensive.
For example, a stock with a P/B ratio of 2 means that we pay $2 for every $1 of book value. Thus, the higher the P/B, the more expensive the stock.
But there is a caveat. A P/B ratio of less than one can also mean that the company is earning weak or even negative returns on its assets or that the assets are overstated, in which case the stock should be shunned because it may be destroying shareholder value. Conversely, the stock’s price may be significantly high — thereby pushing the P/B ratio to more than one — in the likely case that it has become a takeover target, a good enough reason to own the stock.
Moreover, the P/B ratio isn't without limitations. It is useful for businesses — like finance, investments, insurance, and banking or manufacturing companies — with many liquid/tangible assets on the books. However, it can be misleading for firms with significant R&D expenditure, high debt, service companies, or those with negative earnings.
In any case, the ratio is not particularly relevant as a standalone number. One should analyze other ratios like P/E, P/S, and debt to equity before arriving at a reasonable investment decision.
Screening Parameters
Price to Book (common Equity) less than X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
Price to Sales less than X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how much the market values every dollar of the company’s sales/revenues — a lower ratio than the industry makes the stock attractive.
Price to Earnings using F(1) estimate less than X-Industry Median: The P/E ratio (F1) values a company based on its current share price relative to its estimated earnings per share — a lower ratio than the industry is considered better.
PEG less than 1: PEG links the P/E ratio to the future growth rate of the company. The PEG ratio portrays a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and investors need to pay less for a stock that has bright earnings growth prospects.
Current Price greater than or equal to $5: They must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than or equal to 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to #2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score equal to A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a Value Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best opportunities in the value investing space.
Here are our five picks out of the eight stocks that qualified the screening:
US Foods Holding is a foodservice distributor. The company serves independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and hospitality entities, government and educational institutions.
US Foods Holding has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A. US Foods Holding has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 20.0%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Signet Jewelers is a retailer of diamond jewelry, watches as well as other products. The company operates in the United States, Canada, the U.K., the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Signet Jewelers has a projected 3–5-year EPS growth rate of 8%. SIG currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A.
Celestica is one of the largest electronics manufacturing services companies in the world, serving the computer and communications sectors.
Celestica has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A. Celestica has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 13.88%.
Delek US Holdings is an independent refiner, transporter and marketer of petroleum products.
Delek US Holdings has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 10.11%. Delek US Holdings currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A.
HF Sinclair is an energy company, which produces and markets light products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel and other specialty products.
HF Sinclair has a projected 3–5-year EPS growth rate of 15.07%. HF Sinclaircurrently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A.
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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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Signet Jewelers Limited (SIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Delek US Holdings, Inc. (DK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Celestica, Inc. (CLS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
HF Sinclair Corporation (DINO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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