Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Ageas (AGESY) Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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.

Ageas (AGESY - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. AGESY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.19. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.20. Over the last 12 months, AGESY's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.05 and as low as 4.85, with a median of 5.65.

Investors will also notice that AGESY has a PEG ratio of 0.42. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. AGESY's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.76. Within the past year, AGESY's PEG has been as high as 1.04 and as low as 0.32, with a median of 0.42.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is AGESY's P/B ratio of 0.91. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with 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 2.64. Within the past 52 weeks, AGESY's P/B has been as high as 1.06 and as low as 0.76, with a median of 0.90.

Another great Insurance - Multi line stock you could consider is Allianz (ALIZY - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Allianz is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 10.59 while its PEG ratio sits at 2.95. Both of the company's metrics compare favorably to its industry's average P/E of 8.20 and average PEG ratio of 0.76.

ALIZY's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.20 and as low as 8.12, with a median of 8.84. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 3.68, as low as 2.26, with a median of 2.46.

Furthermore, Allianz holds a P/B ratio of 1.68 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 2.64. ALIZY's P/B has been as high as 1.73, as low as 1.37, with a median of 1.56 over the past 12 months.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Ageas and Allianz are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, AGESY and ALIZY sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Ageas SA (AGESY) - free report >>

Allianz SE (ALIZY) - free report >>

Published in