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Are Investors Undervaluing Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. (PDM) Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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.

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.

Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. (PDM - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. PDM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 6.36 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 15.92. PDM's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.42 and as low as 4.06, with a median of 5.54, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that PDM has a P/B ratio of 0.72. 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. PDM's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.89. Over the past 12 months, PDM's P/B has been as high as 0.84 and as low as 0.46, with a median of 0.63.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by 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. PDM has a P/S ratio of 2.07. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.67.

Finally, our model also underscores that PDM has a P/CF ratio of 7.02. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. PDM's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 14.78. Over the past year, PDM's P/CF has been as high as 8.83 and as low as 4.29, with a median of 6.18.

RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ - Free Report) may be another strong REIT and Equity Trust - Other stock to add to your shortlist. RLJ is a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

RLJ Lodging Trust is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 5.31 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 2.24. This compares to its industry's average P/E of 15.92 and average PEG ratio of 1.68.

Over the last 12 months, RLJ's P/E has been as high as 6.82, as low as 3.87, with a median of 5.41, and its PEG ratio has been as high as 2.54, as low as 0.72, with a median of 1.98.

RLJ Lodging Trust also has a P/B ratio of 0.62 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.89. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 0.85, as low as 0.51, with a median of 0.67.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. and RLJ Lodging Trust are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, PDM and RLJ sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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