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Is GNC Holdings (GNC) a Great Pick for Value Investors?
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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 GNC Holdings, Inc. (GNC - 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, GNC Holdings has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 18.15, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 20.23. However, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, GNC Holdings’ current PE level puts it much above its midpoint of 7.46 over the past five years.
The stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Retail Wholesale Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 28.86. This indicates that the stock is undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Meanwhile GNC Holdings has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 5.11, which is much lower than the current level. So, so it is fair to say that a more value-oriented path is ahead of the stock in the near term.
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, GNC Holdings has a P/S ratio of just 0.09. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.5x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is much below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, GNC Holdings currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes GNC Holdings a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though GNC Holdings 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 Score of D and a Momentum Score of C. This gives GNC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been downbeat. While the current-year consensus has dropped 6.7% over the past month, the next-year estimate has plunged 17.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Despite such bearish analyst sentiments, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and it is the reason why we are looking for in line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
GNC Holdings is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite a strong industry rank (among Top 12% of more than 250 industries), with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about the stock.
Also, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for Zacks rank, past industry performance and analyst sentiments to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
Image: Bigstock
Is GNC Holdings (GNC) a Great Pick for Value Investors?
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 GNC Holdings, Inc. (GNC - 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, GNC Holdings has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 18.15, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 20.23. However, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, GNC Holdings’ current PE level puts it much above its midpoint of 7.46 over the past five years.
The stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Retail Wholesale Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 28.86. This indicates that the stock is undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Meanwhile GNC Holdings has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 5.11, which is much lower than the current level. So, so it is fair to say that a more value-oriented path is ahead of the stock in the near term.
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, GNC Holdings has a P/S ratio of just 0.09. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.5x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is much below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, GNC Holdings currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes GNC Holdings a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though GNC Holdings 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 Score of D and a Momentum Score of C. This gives GNC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been downbeat. While the current-year consensus has dropped 6.7% over the past month, the next-year estimate has plunged 17.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
GNC Holdings, Inc. Price and Consensus
GNC Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-chart | GNC Holdings, Inc. Quote
Despite such bearish analyst sentiments, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and it is the reason why we are looking for in line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
GNC Holdings is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite a strong industry rank (among Top 12% of more than 250 industries), with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about the stock.
Also, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for Zacks rank, past industry performance and analyst sentiments to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>