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Can Value Investors Pick Citizens Financial (CFG) Stock Now?
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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, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG - 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, Citizens Financial Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 18.65, 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 compares in at about 29.29. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level Citizens Financial Group puts current PE ratio above its midpoint (which is 13.45) over the past five years.
Also, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.49. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Citizens Financial Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 11.63, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for the 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, the stock has a P/S ratio of about 2.51. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.15 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Citizens Financial Group currently has a Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes CFG a solid choice for value investors and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for the stock is just 0.37, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.13. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate.
Its P/CF ratio comes in at 11.17, which is far better than the industry average of 12.03. Clearly, CFG is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Citizens Financial Group 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 grade of D and a Momentum score of B. This gives CFG a 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 promising. The current quarter has seen five estimates go higher in the past sixty days and none lower, while current year estimate has six upward and zero downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate. The current quarter consensus estimate has risen 2.2% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has risen 6.3% in the same time period. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Price and Consensus
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Citizens Financial Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a strong industry rank (Top 14% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #2 further supports the growth potential of the stock. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick
Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything
Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities.
Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.
Image: Bigstock
Can Value Investors Pick Citizens Financial (CFG) Stock Now?
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, Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG - 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, Citizens Financial Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 18.65, 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 compares in at about 29.29. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level Citizens Financial Group puts current PE ratio above its midpoint (which is 13.45) over the past five years.
Also, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.49. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Citizens Financial Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 11.63, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for the 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, the stock has a P/S ratio of about 2.51. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.15 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Citizens Financial Group currently has a Value Style Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes CFG a solid choice for value investors and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for the stock is just 0.37, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.13. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate.
Its P/CF ratio comes in at 11.17, which is far better than the industry average of 12.03. Clearly, CFG is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Citizens Financial Group 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 grade of D and a Momentum score of B. This gives CFG a 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 promising. The current quarter has seen five estimates go higher in the past sixty days and none lower, while current year estimate has six upward and zero downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate. The current quarter consensus estimate has risen 2.2% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has risen 6.3% in the same time period. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Price and Consensus
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Citizens Financial Group, Inc. Quote
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Citizens Financial Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a strong industry rank (Top 14% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #2 further supports the growth potential of the stock. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick
Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything
Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities.
Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.
See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>