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When evaluating a company’s value, investors mostly look at a stock’s Price-to-Earnings (P/E) or Price-to-Sales (P/S) ratio. While P/E is the ratio of annual earnings to stock price, P/S reflects the amount investors pay for each dollar of revenues generated by the company.
Though P/E and P/S valuation tools are more commonly used for stock selection, the price-to-book ratio (P/B ratio) is also an easy-to-use metric for identifying low-priced stocks with high-growth prospects.
P/B is the ratio of stock price to book value.
It is calculated as below:
P/B ratio = market capitalization/book value of equity
The P/B ratio helps to identify low-priced stocks that have high growth prospects. Deutsche Bank, Signet Jewelers, EPR Properties and Sterling Infrastructure are some such stocks.
Now let us understand the concept of book value.
What’s Book Value?
Book value is the total value that would be left over, according to the company’s balance sheet, if it goes bankrupt immediately. In other words, this is what shareholders would theoretically receive if a company liquidates all its assets after paying off all its liabilities.
It is calculated by subtracting total liabilities from the total assets of a company. In most cases, this equates to the common stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet. However, depending on the company’s balance sheet, intangible assets should also be subtracted from the total assets to determine book value.
Understanding P/B Ratio
By comparing the book value of equity to its market price, we get an idea of whether a company is under-or overpriced. However, like P/E or P/S ratio, it is always better to compare P/B ratios within industries.
A P/B ratio of less than one means that the stock is trading at less than its book value, or the stock is undervalued and, therefore a good buy. Conversely, a stock with a ratio greater than one can be interpreted as being overvalued or relatively expensive.
For example, a stock with a P/B ratio of 2 means that we pay $2 for every $1 of book value. Thus, the higher the P/B, the more expensive the stock.
But there is a caveat. A P/B ratio of less than one can also mean that the company is earning weak or even negative returns on its assets or that the assets are overstated, in which case the stock should be shunned because it may be destroying shareholder value. Conversely, the stock’s price may be significantly high — thereby pushing the P/B ratio to more than one — in the likely case that it has become a takeover target, a good enough reason to own the stock.
Moreover, the P/B ratio isn't without limitations. It is useful for businesses — like finance, investments, insurance, and banking or manufacturing companies — with many liquid/tangible assets on the books. However, it can be misleading for firms with significant R&D expenditure, high debt, service companies, or those with negative earnings.
In any case, the ratio is not particularly relevant as a standalone number. One should analyze other ratios like P/E, P/S and debt to equity before arriving at a reasonable investment decision.
Here are our four picks out of the seven stocks that qualified the screening:
Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, also called Deutsche Bank AG, is the largest bank in Germany and one of the largest financial institutions in Europe and the world, as measured by total assets.
DB has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 6.53%.
Signet Jewelers is a retailer of diamond jewelry, watches and other products. The company operates in the United States, Canada, the U.K., the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Signet Jewelers has a projected 3–5-year EPS growth rate of 8%. SIG currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A.
EPR Properties is specialty real estate investment trust that invests in three primary segments: Entertainment, Recreation and Education. Its properties include megaplex theatres, entertainment retail centers, and destination recreational and specialty properties.
EPR Properties has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of B. EPR has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 8.96%.
Sterling Infrastructure operates through subsidiaries within segments specializing in E-Infrastructure, Building and Transportation Solutions. E-Infrastructure Solutions projects develop advanced, large-scale site development systems and services for data centers, e-commerce distribution centers, warehousing, transportation, energy and more.
Building Solutions projects include residential and commercial concrete foundations for single-family and multi-family homes,parking structures, elevated slabs and other concrete work. Transportation Solutions includes infrastructure and rehabilitation projects for highways, roads, bridges, airports, ports, light rail, water, wastewater and storm drainage systems.
Sterling Infrastructure has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 18%. Sterling Infrastructure currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A.
Get the rest of the stocks on the list and startputting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks.com featured highlights Deutsche Bank, Signet Jewelers, EPR Properties and Sterling Infrastructure
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 10, 2023 – Stocks in this week’s article are Deutsche Bank (DB - Free Report) , Signet Jewelers (SIG - Free Report) , EPR Properties (EPR - Free Report) and Sterling Infrastructure (STRL - Free Report) .
4 Stocks with Low P/B Ratios to Buy in March
When evaluating a company’s value, investors mostly look at a stock’s Price-to-Earnings (P/E) or Price-to-Sales (P/S) ratio. While P/E is the ratio of annual earnings to stock price, P/S reflects the amount investors pay for each dollar of revenues generated by the company.
Though P/E and P/S valuation tools are more commonly used for stock selection, the price-to-book ratio (P/B ratio) is also an easy-to-use metric for identifying low-priced stocks with high-growth prospects.
P/B is the ratio of stock price to book value.
It is calculated as below:
P/B ratio = market capitalization/book value of equity
The P/B ratio helps to identify low-priced stocks that have high growth prospects. Deutsche Bank, Signet Jewelers, EPR Properties and Sterling Infrastructure are some such stocks.
Now let us understand the concept of book value.
What’s Book Value?
Book value is the total value that would be left over, according to the company’s balance sheet, if it goes bankrupt immediately. In other words, this is what shareholders would theoretically receive if a company liquidates all its assets after paying off all its liabilities.
It is calculated by subtracting total liabilities from the total assets of a company. In most cases, this equates to the common stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet. However, depending on the company’s balance sheet, intangible assets should also be subtracted from the total assets to determine book value.
Understanding P/B Ratio
By comparing the book value of equity to its market price, we get an idea of whether a company is under-or overpriced. However, like P/E or P/S ratio, it is always better to compare P/B ratios within industries.
A P/B ratio of less than one means that the stock is trading at less than its book value, or the stock is undervalued and, therefore a good buy. Conversely, a stock with a ratio greater than one can be interpreted as being overvalued or relatively expensive.
For example, a stock with a P/B ratio of 2 means that we pay $2 for every $1 of book value. Thus, the higher the P/B, the more expensive the stock.
But there is a caveat. A P/B ratio of less than one can also mean that the company is earning weak or even negative returns on its assets or that the assets are overstated, in which case the stock should be shunned because it may be destroying shareholder value. Conversely, the stock’s price may be significantly high — thereby pushing the P/B ratio to more than one — in the likely case that it has become a takeover target, a good enough reason to own the stock.
Moreover, the P/B ratio isn't without limitations. It is useful for businesses — like finance, investments, insurance, and banking or manufacturing companies — with many liquid/tangible assets on the books. However, it can be misleading for firms with significant R&D expenditure, high debt, service companies, or those with negative earnings.
In any case, the ratio is not particularly relevant as a standalone number. One should analyze other ratios like P/E, P/S and debt to equity before arriving at a reasonable investment decision.
Here are our four picks out of the seven stocks that qualified the screening:
Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, also called Deutsche Bank AG, is the largest bank in Germany and one of the largest financial institutions in Europe and the world, as measured by total assets.
Deutsche Bank has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of B. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
DB has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 6.53%.
Signet Jewelers is a retailer of diamond jewelry, watches and other products. The company operates in the United States, Canada, the U.K., the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Signet Jewelers has a projected 3–5-year EPS growth rate of 8%. SIG currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A.
EPR Properties is specialty real estate investment trust that invests in three primary segments: Entertainment, Recreation and Education. Its properties include megaplex theatres, entertainment retail centers, and destination recreational and specialty properties.
EPR Properties has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of B. EPR has a projected 3–5 year EPS growth rate of 8.96%.
Sterling Infrastructure operates through subsidiaries within segments specializing in E-Infrastructure, Building and Transportation Solutions. E-Infrastructure Solutions projects develop advanced, large-scale site development systems and services for data centers, e-commerce distribution centers, warehousing, transportation, energy and more.
Building Solutions projects include residential and commercial concrete foundations for single-family and multi-family homes,parking structures, elevated slabs and other concrete work. Transportation Solutions includes infrastructure and rehabilitation projects for highways, roads, bridges, airports, ports, light rail, water, wastewater and storm drainage systems.
Sterling Infrastructure has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 18%. Sterling Infrastructure currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A.
Get the rest of the stocks on the list and startputting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2063378/4-stocks-with-low-pb-ratio-to-buy-in-march
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
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Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
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Visit: https://www.zacks.com/
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.