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 Anthem, Inc. 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, Anthem has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 14.09, 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 stands at about 19.86. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Anthem’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint of 12.12 over the past five years. Notably, the current level stands below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.



Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Medical sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 18.06. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.



We should also point out that Anthem has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 12.76, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Anthem 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, Anthem has a P/S ratio of about 0.47. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 2.97 right now, suggesting some level of undervalued trading. This is reflected well in the chart below.



Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Anthem currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘A’, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Anthem a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Anthem 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 ‘F’. This gives ANTM a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of ‘C’. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Nonetheless, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been quite encouraging. Both the current quarter and full year estimates have seen three upward and no downward revisions each, over the past 60 days.

This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has jumped 6.8% in the past two months, with the full year estimate up 1.2%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

However, this positive trend has likely not yet been reflected in the stock, as we have just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance in the near term. Nonetheless, the definite bullish analyst sentiment indicates that the stock’s growth story is intact.

Bottom Line

Anthem is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its decent lineup of statistics on this front. Despite having a Zacks Rank #3, the stock belongs to an industry which is ranked among the Top 34%, which indicates that broader factors are favorable for the company. Further, over the past two years, the Zacks Medical – HMO industry’s performance has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:



So, value investors might want to wait for estimates and analyst sentiment to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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