Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Honda Motor (HMC) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

Honda Motor (HMC - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. HMC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 9.95, which compares to its industry's average of 12.52. Over the past 52 weeks, HMC's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.24 and as low as 5.51, with a median of 11.12.

Investors should also note that HMC holds a PEG ratio of 0.52. 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. HMC's industry has an average PEG of 0.81 right now. Within the past year, HMC's PEG has been as high as 3.48 and as low as 0.51, with a median of 0.75.

Investors should also recognize that HMC has a P/B ratio of 0.63. 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. HMC's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 0.84. HMC's P/B has been as high as 0.66 and as low as 0.43, with a median of 0.58, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. HMC has a P/S ratio of 0.42. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.43.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Honda Motor'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, HMC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) - free report >>

Published in