Should Value Investors Buy Phillips 66 (PSX) Stock?

PSX

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is Phillips 66 (PSX - Free Report) . PSX is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A.

We also note that PSX holds a PEG ratio of 0.42. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. PSX's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.51. PSX's PEG has been as high as 1.06 and as low as 0.37, with a median of 0.63, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is PSX's P/B ratio of 1.45. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.07. PSX's P/B has been as high as 2.40 and as low as 1.15, with a median of 1.69, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. PSX has a P/S ratio of 0.29. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.3.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that PSX has a P/CF ratio of 4.08. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 4.59. Over the past year, PSX's P/CF has been as high as 33.65 and as low as 3.23, with a median of 8.85.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Phillips 66's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that PSX is an impressive value stock right now.

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