Is TC Energy (TRP) a Profitable Pick for Value Investors Now?

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 TC Energy Corporation TRP 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, TC Energy has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.76, 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 18.26. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, TC Energy’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Oils – Energy sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.59. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that TC Energy has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 16.60, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for TC Energy 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, TC Energy has a P/S ratio of about 4.57. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.22 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

If anything, TRP is in the higher end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of overvalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, TC Energy currently has a Zacks Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes TC Energy a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for TC Energy is just 2.87, a level that is lower than the industry average of 3.66. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, TRP is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though TC Energy 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 Score of C and a Momentum Score of A. This gives TRP a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to no movement in the opposite direction, while the full year 2020 estimate has seen two upward revision compared to no downward in the same time period.

This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate though as the current year consensus estimate has increased by 1.3% in the past two months, while full year 2020 estimate has improved by 0.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Despite this positive trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

TC Energy is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible line up of statistics on this front.

However, with a sluggish industry rank (among bottom 40% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Alternative Energy – Other industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:

So, value investors might want to wait for estimates and analyst sentiment to turn favorable in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

Free: Zacks’ Single Best Stock Set to Double

Today you are invited to download our just-released Special Report that reveals 5 stocks with the most potential to gain +100% or more in 2020. From those 5, Zacks Director of Research, Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all-time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible. Now a pending acquisition could super-charge the company’s drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence. The earlier you get in to this stock, the greater your potential gain.

Download Free Report 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

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.