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4 Low Price-to-Cash Flow Stocks to Weather Market Volatility
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Volatility has gripped the stock market lately and you can easily blame this on inflationary headwinds, supply chain issues and geopolitical tensions. The consumer price index rose to 8.3% in August 2022 on a year-over-year basis, more than analysts’ expectations of 8.1%. With the desperate need to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve may announce a steep hike in the benchmark interest rate in the upcoming meet.
So, as you modify your portfolio to cope with the ongoing challenges and continued monetary policy tightening, market pundits are placing their bets on value stocks.
Investment in stocks made on diligent value analysis is usually considered one of the best practices. In value investing, investors pick stocks that are cheap but fundamentally sound. There are a number of ratios to identify value stocks but none alone can conclusively determine their inherent potential.
Each ratio helps an investor understand a particular aspect of the company’s business. One such ratio, Price to Cash Flow (or P/CF), can work wonders in stock picking if used prudently. This metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis – the lower the number, the better. Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) , Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG - Free Report) , EPR Properties (EPR - Free Report) and Patrick Industries, Inc. (PATK - Free Report) boast a low P/CF ratio.
Why P/CF Ratio?
You must be wondering why we are considering this when the most widely used valuation metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). Well, one of the important factors that make P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company’s financial health.
Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. Then again, cash flow is quite reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company generates and how effectively management is deploying the same.
A positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in the business, endure downturns and finally undertake shareholder-friendly moves. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which, in turn, lowers its flexibility to support these endeavors.
However, an investment decision solely based on the P/CF metric may not fetch the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and take into account the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chances of falling into a value trap.
The Bargain Hunting Strategy
Here are the parameters for selecting true value stocks:
P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to its peers.
P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio the more attractive the stock is.
PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.
Here are four of the 13 stocks that qualified the screening:
Unum Group, which provides financial protection benefit solutions, sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 14.9% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.1%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Unum Group’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 1.1% and 40.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Unum Group has a Value Score of A. Shares of UNM have gained 67.7% in the past year.
Harley-Davidson, which manufactures and sells motorcycles, carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 10.5% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 49.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Harley-Davidson’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.9% and 8.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Harley-Davidson has a Value Score of A. The stock has jumped 8.6% in the past year.
EPR Properties, a leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust, carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.3% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPR’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 20.1% and 49.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. EPR Properties has a Value Score of B. Shares of EPR Properties have declined 14.9% in the past year.
Patrick Industries, a leading component solutions provider for the RV, marine, manufactured housing and various industrial markets, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 8.5% for three-five years. Patrick Industries has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 38.9%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Patrick Industries’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 24.5% and 37.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Patrick Industries has a Value Score of A. Shares of PATK have fallen 39.9% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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4 Low Price-to-Cash Flow Stocks to Weather Market Volatility
Volatility has gripped the stock market lately and you can easily blame this on inflationary headwinds, supply chain issues and geopolitical tensions. The consumer price index rose to 8.3% in August 2022 on a year-over-year basis, more than analysts’ expectations of 8.1%. With the desperate need to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve may announce a steep hike in the benchmark interest rate in the upcoming meet.
So, as you modify your portfolio to cope with the ongoing challenges and continued monetary policy tightening, market pundits are placing their bets on value stocks.
Investment in stocks made on diligent value analysis is usually considered one of the best practices. In value investing, investors pick stocks that are cheap but fundamentally sound. There are a number of ratios to identify value stocks but none alone can conclusively determine their inherent potential.
Each ratio helps an investor understand a particular aspect of the company’s business. One such ratio, Price to Cash Flow (or P/CF), can work wonders in stock picking if used prudently. This metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis – the lower the number, the better. Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) , Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG - Free Report) , EPR Properties (EPR - Free Report) and Patrick Industries, Inc. (PATK - Free Report) boast a low P/CF ratio.
Why P/CF Ratio?
You must be wondering why we are considering this when the most widely used valuation metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). Well, one of the important factors that make P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company’s financial health.
Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. Then again, cash flow is quite reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company generates and how effectively management is deploying the same.
A positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in the business, endure downturns and finally undertake shareholder-friendly moves. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which, in turn, lowers its flexibility to support these endeavors.
However, an investment decision solely based on the P/CF metric may not fetch the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and take into account the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chances of falling into a value trap.
The Bargain Hunting Strategy
Here are the parameters for selecting true value stocks:
P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to its peers.
P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio the more attractive the stock is.
PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.
Here are four of the 13 stocks that qualified the screening:
Unum Group, which provides financial protection benefit solutions, sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 14.9% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.1%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Unum Group’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 1.1% and 40.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Unum Group has a Value Score of A. Shares of UNM have gained 67.7% in the past year.
Harley-Davidson, which manufactures and sells motorcycles, carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 10.5% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 49.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Harley-Davidson’s current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 6.9% and 8.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Harley-Davidson has a Value Score of A. The stock has jumped 8.6% in the past year.
EPR Properties, a leading diversified experiential net lease real estate investment trust, carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has an expected EPS growth rate of 12.3% for three-five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPR’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 20.1% and 49.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. EPR Properties has a Value Score of B. Shares of EPR Properties have declined 14.9% in the past year.
Patrick Industries, a leading component solutions provider for the RV, marine, manufactured housing and various industrial markets, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has an expected EPS growth rate of 8.5% for three-five years. Patrick Industries has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 38.9%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Patrick Industries’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 24.5% and 37.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Patrick Industries has a Value Score of A. Shares of PATK have fallen 39.9% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.