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Is PeapackGladstone Financial (PGC) a Suitable Pick for Value Investors?
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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 PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation (PGC - 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, PeapackGladstone Financial has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 22.84, 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 30.65. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, PeapackGladstone Financial’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint (which is 13.65) over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 21.22. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that PeapackGladstone Financial has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.6, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for PeapackGladstone Financial 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, PeapackGladstone Financial has a P/S ratio of about 2.66. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.37x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, PeapackGladstone Financial currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes PeapackGladstone Financial a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for PeapackGladstone Financial is just 0.92, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.53. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, PGC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though PeapackGladstone Financial 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 F and a Momentum Score of C. This gives PGC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of D. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been robust at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and none down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter and full year consensus estimate has risen by 8% each, in the past two months. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation Price and Consensus
This somewhat favorable trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for better performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
PeapackGladstone Financial is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among Top 8% of more than 250 industries) instills our confidence. However, over the past two years, the Zacks Banks – Northeast industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
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Is PeapackGladstone Financial (PGC) a Suitable Pick for Value Investors?
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 PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation (PGC - 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, PeapackGladstone Financial has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 22.84, 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 30.65. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, PeapackGladstone Financial’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint (which is 13.65) over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 21.22. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that PeapackGladstone Financial has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.6, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for PeapackGladstone Financial 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, PeapackGladstone Financial has a P/S ratio of about 2.66. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.37x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, PeapackGladstone Financial currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes PeapackGladstone Financial a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for PeapackGladstone Financial is just 0.92, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.53. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, PGC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though PeapackGladstone Financial 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 F and a Momentum Score of C. This gives PGC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of D. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been robust at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and none down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter and full year consensus estimate has risen by 8% each, in the past two months. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation Price and Consensus
PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation price-consensus-chart | PeapackGladstone Financial Corporation Quote
This somewhat favorable trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for better performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
PeapackGladstone Financial is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among Top 8% of more than 250 industries) instills our confidence. However, over the past two years, the Zacks Banks – Northeast industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>