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Is Container Store (TCS) a Great Stock 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 The Container Store Group, Inc. (TCS - 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, Container Store has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.7, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 21. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Container Store’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past three years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Consumer Products - Discretionary industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 17.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Container Store has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.5, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Container Store stock in the near term too.
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, Container Store has a P/S ratio of about 0.3. This is far lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.6x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, TCS is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Container Store currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Container Store a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Container Store is just 1.1, a level that is a bit lower than the industry average of 1.4. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, TCS is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Container Store 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 A and a Momentum Score of F. This gives TCS a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate to go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen no up and two down in the same time period.
This has had just a small impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 4.3% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has declined by 2.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Container Store is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (Bottom 25% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies
It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively.
And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.
Image: Bigstock
Is Container Store (TCS) a Great Stock 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 The Container Store Group, Inc. (TCS - 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, Container Store has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.7, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 21. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Container Store’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past three years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Consumer Products - Discretionary industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 17.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Container Store has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.5, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Container Store stock in the near term too.
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, Container Store has a P/S ratio of about 0.3. This is far lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.6x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, TCS is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Container Store currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Container Store a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Container Store is just 1.1, a level that is a bit lower than the industry average of 1.4. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, TCS is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Container Store 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 A and a Momentum Score of F. This gives TCS a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate to go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen no up and two down in the same time period.
This has had just a small impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 4.3% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has declined by 2.8%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Container Store Price and Consensus
Container Store Price and Consensus | Container Store Quote
This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Container Store is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (Bottom 25% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies
It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2% respectively.
And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.
See Them Free>>