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Can Value Investors Consider Plains all American (PAA) Stock?
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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 Plains all American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA - Free Report) 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, Plains All American has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.64, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares quite favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 17.75. Also, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, Plains All American’s current PE level puts it way below its midpoint of 22.94 over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE compares quite favorably with the Oils-Energy Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 14.43. This indicates that the stock is quite undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
However, Plains All American has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 11.93, which is higher than the current level. So, it is fair to expect an increase in the share price in the times ahead.
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, Plains All American has a P/S ratio of just 0.58. This is quite lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.19 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this stands below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Plains All American currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Plains All American a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Plains All American 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 A and a Momentum Score of A. This gives PAA 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 bullish. The current quarter has seen three upward and two downward revisions in the past sixty days, while the full year estimate has seen six upward revisions versus two downward revisions in the same time period.
This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate as the current quarter consensus estimate has shot up 4.9% over the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 2.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Price and Consensus
Despite the bullish analyst sentiments, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and it is the reason why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Plains All American is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite, a strong industry rank (among Top 33% of more than 250 industries), with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about the stock.
In fact, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, despite bullish analyst sentiments, value investors might want to wait for the rank and industry performance to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
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Can Value Investors Consider Plains all American (PAA) 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 Plains all American Pipeline, L.P. (PAA - Free Report) 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, Plains All American has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.64, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares quite favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 17.75. Also, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, Plains All American’s current PE level puts it way below its midpoint of 22.94 over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE compares quite favorably with the Oils-Energy Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 14.43. This indicates that the stock is quite undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
However, Plains All American has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 11.93, which is higher than the current level. So, it is fair to expect an increase in the share price in the times ahead.
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, Plains All American has a P/S ratio of just 0.58. This is quite lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.19 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this stands below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Plains All American currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Plains All American a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Plains All American 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 A and a Momentum Score of A. This gives PAA 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 bullish. The current quarter has seen three upward and two downward revisions in the past sixty days, while the full year estimate has seen six upward revisions versus two downward revisions in the same time period.
This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate as the current quarter consensus estimate has shot up 4.9% over the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 2.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Price and Consensus
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. price-consensus-chart | Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Quote
Despite the bullish analyst sentiments, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and it is the reason why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Plains All American is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite, a strong industry rank (among Top 33% of more than 250 industries), with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about the stock.
In fact, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, despite bullish analyst sentiments, value investors might want to wait for the rank and industry performance 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>>