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Genworth Financial (GNW) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?

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Have you been paying attention to shares of Genworth Financial (GNW - Free Report) ? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 16.4% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $5 in the previous session. Genworth Financial has gained 6.7% since the start of the year compared to the 4.5% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the 7.6% return for the Zacks Insurance - Life Insurance industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?

The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on October 30, 2018, Genworth Financial reported EPS of $0.29 versus consensus estimate of $0.23 while it missed the consensus revenue estimate by 0.68%.

For the current fiscal year, Genworth Financial is expected to post earnings of $1.02 per share on $8.56 billion in revenues. Meanwhile, for the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $1 per share on $8.51 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of -13.56% and -0.58%, respectively.

Valuation Metrics

Genworth Financial may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

Genworth Financial has a Value Score of A. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are D and A, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 4.9X current fiscal year EPS estimates. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 2.5X versus its peer group's average of 9.1X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.

Zacks Rank

We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Genworth Financial currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.

Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Genworth Financial fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Genworth Financial shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come.

How Does Genworth Financial Stack Up to the Competition?

Shares of Genworth Financial have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? Some of its industry peers are also solid potential picks, including FGL Holdings (FG - Free Report) , Athene Holding , and Cigna (CI - Free Report) , all of which currently have a Zacks Rank of at least #2 and a VGM Score of at least B, making them well-rounded choices.

The Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 17% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for Genworth Financial, even beyond its own solid fundamental situation.


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