Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy PagSeguro Digital (PAGS) 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.

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.

PagSeguro Digital (PAGS - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. PAGS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 7.24, which compares to its industry's average of 16.86. Over the past year, PAGS's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.81 and as low as 4.84, with a median of 6.45.

Investors should also note that PAGS holds a PEG ratio of 0.64. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. PAGS's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.98. PAGS's PEG has been as high as 0.69 and as low as 0.33, with a median of 0.49, all within the past year.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. PAGS has a P/S ratio of 0.66. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.77.

Finally, investors should note that PAGS has a P/CF ratio of 4.59. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. PAGS's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 12.13. Within the past 12 months, PAGS's P/CF has been as high as 4.68 and as low as 2.85, with a median of 3.80.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in PagSeguro Digital's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, PAGS looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

Published in