Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Annaly Capital (NLY) a Great Stock for Value Investors?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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 Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NLY - 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, Annaly Capital has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 9.7, 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 21.4. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Annaly Capital’s current PE ratio slightly above its midpoint (which is 8.6) over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 9.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

 

We should also point out that Annaly Capital has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 9.9, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.

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, Annaly Capital has a P/S ratio of about 3.3. This is marginally lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.4 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is way 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, Annaly Capital currently has a Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes NLY a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 5.9, which is somewhat better than the industry average of 7.5. Clearly, NLY is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Annaly Capital 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 C. This gives NLY a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The full-year 2017 has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days, compared to none lower, while the full-year 2018 estimate has seen a similar trend in the same time period.

This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the full-year 2017 consensus estimate has inched up 0.8% in the past two months, while the full-year 2018 estimate has also risen about 0.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Despite having a somewhat bullish trend, NLY carrries 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

Annaly Capital 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 40% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

Despite positive estimate revision activity, investors should wait for industry trends and broader factors to turn around first.  When they do, this stock could be a compelling value pick.

Investor Alert: Breakthroughs Pending

A medical advance is now at the flashpoint between theory and realization. Billions of dollars in research have poured into it. Companies are already generating substantial revenue, and even more wondrous products are in the pipeline.

Cures for a variety of deadly diseases are in sight, and so are big potential profits for early investors. Zacks names 5 stocks to buy now.

Click here to see them >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Annaly Capital Management Inc (NLY) - free report >>

Published in