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4 Bargain Stocks With Low Price-to-Cash Flow to Record September Gains
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Investors have been bracing up to counter what has historically been referred to as the "September Effect." Thursday saw a varied performance across major indexes. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, extending its recent losing streak to three days, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5%. Conversely, the Nasdaq Composite managed a modest gain of about 0.3%, driven by a slight recovery in tech stocks despite ongoing volatility. This uneven market behavior highlights apprehensions over the economy’s health.
The broader market pullback was triggered by weaker-than-expected labor market data. A report from ADP unveiled that only 99,000 private-sector jobs were created in August, far short of expectations and the smallest increase since 2021. This disappointing figure has raised concerns about the strength of the labor market.
Given the scenario, there is hope that the Federal Reserve might ease its stance on interest rates in the upcoming policy meeting. Many investors are looking for a quarter-percentage-point rate cut, which could help ease some of the economic pressure. However, with mixed signals from the economy, market sentiment remains fragile as investors await more clarity on the direction of monetary policy.
How to Capitalize on Opportunities in September?
The month of September is known for its heightened uncertainty, with stocks experiencing dips or corrections. In this environment, value stocks may present a safer and more stable investment option.
Value investing is considered one of the best practices when it comes to picking stocks. It is essentially about selecting stocks that are fundamentally sound but have been beaten down by some external factors. Such stocks are poised to bounce back as and when investors recognize the inherent value of companies. Certainly, the value investment strategy best suits investors with a long-term horizon.
There are different valuation metrics to determine a stock’s inherent strength. Still, a random selection of a ratio cannot serve your purpose if you want a realistic assessment of a company’s financial position. For this, the Price to Cash Flow (or P/CF) ratio is one of the key metrics. Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS - Free Report) , EnerSys (ENS - Free Report) , Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) and Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) boast a low P/CF ratio.
The Role of Price-to-Cash-Flow Ratio
Price-to-Cash-Flow metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better. One of the important factors that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company's financial health.
Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. However, cash flow is reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company is actually generating and how effectively management is deploying the same.
Positive cash flow indicates an increase in a company’s liquid assets. It gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in its business, endure downturns and finally pay back its shareholders. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which in turn lowers its flexibility to support these moves.
However, solely based on the P/CF metric, an investment decision may not fetch the desired results. To identify stocks trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and consider the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chance of falling into a value trap.
A Bargain Hunting Strategy
Here are the parameters for selecting true value stocks:
P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to their peers.
P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio the more attractive the stock is.
PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B, when combined with Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best upside potential.
Here are four of the 11 stocks that qualified the screening.
Universal Health Services, one of the nation's largest hospital companies, operating through its subsidiaries, acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.6%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Universal Health Services’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 9.8% and 51%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Universal Health Services has a Value Score of A. Shares of UHS have rallied 86.8% in the past year.
EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications globally, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EnerSys’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.7% and 7.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ENS has a Value Score of A. Shares of ENS have risen 1.1% in the past year.
Kinross Gold, a Canada-based gold mining company with operations and projects in the United States, Brazil, Mauritania, Chile and Canada, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.2%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kinross Gold’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 12.8% and 31.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Kinross Gold has a Value Score of A. The stock has advanced 82.9% in the past year.
Unum Group, which provides financial protection benefit solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Unum Group’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.4% and 10.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Unum Group has a Value Score of A. Shares of UNM have gained 15.3% in the past year.
You can get the remaining stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
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.
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4 Bargain Stocks With Low Price-to-Cash Flow to Record September Gains
Investors have been bracing up to counter what has historically been referred to as the "September Effect." Thursday saw a varied performance across major indexes. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, extending its recent losing streak to three days, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.5%. Conversely, the Nasdaq Composite managed a modest gain of about 0.3%, driven by a slight recovery in tech stocks despite ongoing volatility. This uneven market behavior highlights apprehensions over the economy’s health.
The broader market pullback was triggered by weaker-than-expected labor market data. A report from ADP unveiled that only 99,000 private-sector jobs were created in August, far short of expectations and the smallest increase since 2021. This disappointing figure has raised concerns about the strength of the labor market.
Given the scenario, there is hope that the Federal Reserve might ease its stance on interest rates in the upcoming policy meeting. Many investors are looking for a quarter-percentage-point rate cut, which could help ease some of the economic pressure. However, with mixed signals from the economy, market sentiment remains fragile as investors await more clarity on the direction of monetary policy.
How to Capitalize on Opportunities in September?
The month of September is known for its heightened uncertainty, with stocks experiencing dips or corrections. In this environment, value stocks may present a safer and more stable investment option.
Value investing is considered one of the best practices when it comes to picking stocks. It is essentially about selecting stocks that are fundamentally sound but have been beaten down by some external factors. Such stocks are poised to bounce back as and when investors recognize the inherent value of companies. Certainly, the value investment strategy best suits investors with a long-term horizon.
There are different valuation metrics to determine a stock’s inherent strength. Still, a random selection of a ratio cannot serve your purpose if you want a realistic assessment of a company’s financial position. For this, the Price to Cash Flow (or P/CF) ratio is one of the key metrics. Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS - Free Report) , EnerSys (ENS - Free Report) , Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC - Free Report) and Unum Group (UNM - Free Report) boast a low P/CF ratio.
The Role of Price-to-Cash-Flow Ratio
Price-to-Cash-Flow metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better. One of the important factors that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company's financial health.
Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. However, cash flow is reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company is actually generating and how effectively management is deploying the same.
Positive cash flow indicates an increase in a company’s liquid assets. It gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in its business, endure downturns and finally pay back its shareholders. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which in turn lowers its flexibility to support these moves.
However, solely based on the P/CF metric, an investment decision may not fetch the desired results. To identify stocks trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and consider the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chance of falling into a value trap.
A Bargain Hunting Strategy
Here are the parameters for selecting true value stocks:
P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to their peers.
P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio the more attractive the stock is.
PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B, when combined with Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best upside potential.
Here are four of the 11 stocks that qualified the screening.
Universal Health Services, one of the nation's largest hospital companies, operating through its subsidiaries, acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.6%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Universal Health Services’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 9.8% and 51%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Universal Health Services has a Value Score of A. Shares of UHS have rallied 86.8% in the past year.
EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications globally, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EnerSys’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.7% and 7.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ENS has a Value Score of A. Shares of ENS have risen 1.1% in the past year.
Kinross Gold, a Canada-based gold mining company with operations and projects in the United States, Brazil, Mauritania, Chile and Canada, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.2%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kinross Gold’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 12.8% and 31.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Kinross Gold has a Value Score of A. The stock has advanced 82.9% in the past year.
Unum Group, which provides financial protection benefit solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Unum Group’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.4% and 10.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Unum Group has a Value Score of A. Shares of UNM have gained 15.3% in the past year.
You can get the remaining stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
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.
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.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.