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Is Penske Automotive (PAG) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

Penske Automotive (PAG - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. PAG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.40. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 10.54. Over the past year, PAG's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.95 and as low as 8.29, with a median of 9.93.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is PAG's P/B ratio of 2.01. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 2.28. PAG's P/B has been as high as 2.14 and as low as 0.91, with a median of 1.45, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. PAG has a P/S ratio of 0.34. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.5.

Finally, we should also recognize that PAG has a P/CF ratio of 8.83. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 9.76. Over the past year, PAG's P/CF has been as high as 10.37 and as low as 4.96, with a median of 8.29.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Penske Automotive is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, PAG feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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