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Are Investors Undervaluing DaVita (DVA) Right Now?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of 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.

DaVita (DVA - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. DVA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.65. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 18.03. Over the past 52 weeks, DVA's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.44 and as low as 10.48, with a median of 13.17.

DVA is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.83. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. DVA's industry has an average PEG of 1.92 right now. Over the last 12 months, DVA's PEG has been as high as 1.09 and as low as 0.69, with a median of 0.87.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. DVA has a P/S ratio of 0.74. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.33.

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

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