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 Magellan Health, Inc. 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, Magellan Health has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.5, 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 20.4. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Magellan Health’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Medical - HMOs industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 18.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Magellan Health has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 16.1, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Magellan Health 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, Magellan Health has a P/S ratio of about 0.3. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.1 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is fairly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, MGLN is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Magellan Health 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 MGLN a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Magellan Health is just 0.92, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.31. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, MGLN is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Magellan Health 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 ‘C’ and a Momentum score of ‘C’. This gives MGLN 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 not been so encouraging. The current quarter has seen none of the estimates going higher in the past sixty days compared to three lower, while the full year estimate has seen none upward and four downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 10% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has gone lower by 3.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Notably, the stock has a long term expected earnings growth of 17.5% and sports a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). These mixed expectations indicate that while the stock’s growth story might be good over the long term, analysts have some apprehensions about the stock in the immediate future. Thus, we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Magellan Health is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (Bottom 14% out of over 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall
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.
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Should Value Investors Consider Magellan Health Stock?
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 Magellan Health, Inc. 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, Magellan Health has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.5, 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 20.4. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Magellan Health’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Medical - HMOs industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 18.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Magellan Health has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 16.1, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Magellan Health 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, Magellan Health has a P/S ratio of about 0.3. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.1 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is fairly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, MGLN is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Magellan Health 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 MGLN a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Magellan Health is just 0.92, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.31. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, MGLN is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Magellan Health 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 ‘C’ and a Momentum score of ‘C’. This gives MGLN 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 not been so encouraging. The current quarter has seen none of the estimates going higher in the past sixty days compared to three lower, while the full year estimate has seen none upward and four downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 10% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has gone lower by 3.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Magellan Health, Inc. Price and Consensus
Magellan Health, Inc. Price and Consensus | Magellan Health, Inc. Quote
Notably, the stock has a long term expected earnings growth of 17.5% and sports a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). These mixed expectations indicate that while the stock’s growth story might be good over the long term, analysts have some apprehensions about the stock in the immediate future. Thus, we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Magellan Health is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (Bottom 14% out of over 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall
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.
5 Trades Could Profit "Big-League" from Trump Policies
If the stocks above spark your interest, wait until you look into companies primed to make substantial gains from Washington's changing course.
Today Zacks reveals 5 tickers that could benefit from new trends like streamlined drug approvals, tariffs, lower taxes, higher interest rates, and spending surges in defense and infrastructure. See these buy recommendations now >>