Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put US Foods Holding Corp. USFD stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, US Foods Holding has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 18.82, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 20.19. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, US Foods Holding’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past three years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 19.35. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that US Foods Holding has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 17.53, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for US Foods Holding stock in the near term too.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, US Foods Holding has a P/S ratio of about 0.37. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.49 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is marginally below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
USFD is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, US Foods Holding currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes US Foods Holding a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for US Foods Holding is 2.06, a level that is lower than the industry average of 2.48. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 11.46, which is better than the industry average of 12.96. Clearly, USFD is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though US Foods Holding might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of A and a Momentum score of C. This gives USFD a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to one lower, while the full year estimate has seen four upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 2.9% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
US Foods Holding Corp. Price and Consensus
US Foods Holding Corp. price-consensus-chart | US Foods Holding Corp. Quote
This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
US Foods Holding is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a strong industry rank (Top 38% out of more than 250 industries) further supports the growth potential of the stock.
However, with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates and analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>
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
Be the first to comment