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Should Value Investors Pick Third Point Reinsurance (TPRE) Stock?

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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 Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. 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, Third Point Reinsurance has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 6.98, 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 compares in at about 19.99. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Third Point Reinsurance’s current PE ratio below its midpoint over the past three years.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Property & Casualty industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.45. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Third Point Reinsurance has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 4.96, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Third Point Reinsurance 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, Third Point Reinsurance has a P/S ratio of about 1.48. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.20 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, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Outlook

In aggregate, Third Point Reinsurance currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘B’, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Third Point Reinsurance a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Third Point Reinsurance is just 0.33, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.72. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, TPRE is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Third Point Reinsurance 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 grade of ‘F’ and a Momentum score of ‘A’. This gives TPRE 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 pretty encouraging. The current quarter has seen one estimate going higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen two upward and one downward movement in the same time period.

This has had just a small impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 2.7% in the past two months and the full year estimate has increased by 19%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. Price and Consensus

Despite having a bullish trend, TPRE carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). This indicates that analysts have some apprehensions about the stock in the immediate future. Thus, we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term

Bottom Line

Third Point Reinsurance is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (Bottom 8% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall.  So, value investors might want to wait for the broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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