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Is ClevelandCliffs (CLF) a Good 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 ClevelandCliffs Inc. (CLF - 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, ClevelandCliffs has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 3.18, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.47. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, ClevelandCliffs’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint (which is 7.02) over the past five years. Moreover, the current level stands well below the highs for the stock, suggesting that it can be a solid entry point.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Basic Materials sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 8.36. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
We should also point out that ClevelandCliffs has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 4.28, which is higher than the current level. So, it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price 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, ClevelandCliffs has a P/S ratio of about 0.55. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 4.14x 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.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, ClevelandCliffs currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes ClevelandCliffs a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 2.84, which is far better than the industry average of 6.65. Clearly, CLF is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though ClevelandCliffs 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 CLF 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 robust at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to three lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and one down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 2.1% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased by 8.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Despite this positive trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
ClevelandCliffs is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among Top 39% of more than 250 industries) instills our confidence. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Mining - Miscellaneous industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
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.
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Is ClevelandCliffs (CLF) a Good 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 ClevelandCliffs Inc. (CLF - 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, ClevelandCliffs has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 3.18, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.47. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, ClevelandCliffs’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint (which is 7.02) over the past five years. Moreover, the current level stands well below the highs for the stock, suggesting that it can be a solid entry point.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Basic Materials sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 8.36. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
We should also point out that ClevelandCliffs has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 4.28, which is higher than the current level. So, it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price 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, ClevelandCliffs has a P/S ratio of about 0.55. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 4.14x 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.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, ClevelandCliffs currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes ClevelandCliffs a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 2.84, which is far better than the industry average of 6.65. Clearly, CLF is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though ClevelandCliffs 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 CLF 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 robust at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to three lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and one down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 2.1% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased by 8.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
ClevelandCliffs Inc. Price and Consensus
ClevelandCliffs Inc. price-consensus-chart | ClevelandCliffs Inc. Quote
Despite this positive trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
ClevelandCliffs is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among Top 39% of more than 250 industries) instills our confidence. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Mining - Miscellaneous industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
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.