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 Viacom, 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, Viacom has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 12.13, 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 20.37. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Viacom’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint of 12.40 over the past five years. Further, the current multiple stands significantly lower than the highs of 19.32. This suggests that it could be a solid entry point.



Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Consumer Discretionary sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 23.30. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.



We should also point out that Viacom has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 11.13, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Viacom 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, Viacom has a P/S ratio of about 1.35. This is way lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.09 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.



If anything, VIAB is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Viacom currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘B’, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Viacom a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

While Viacom 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 ‘F’ and a Momentum score of ‘A’. This gives VIAB a Zacks 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 mixed at best. The current quarter has seen no upward revisions in the past sixty days compared to seven downward revisions, while the full year estimate has seen six up and two down in the same time period.

This has had a mixed impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has declined by 18.9% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has inched higher by 1.3%. This highlights that though the stock is expected to face some near-term hurdles, analysts remain somewhat optimistic about the company’s long-term prospects. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Viacom is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite having a Zacks Rank #3, the stock belongs to an industry which is ranked among the Top 28%, which indicates that broader factors are favorable for the company. Further, over the past one years, the Zacks classified Media Conglomerates industry’s performance has outperformed broader market, though by a marginal amount – 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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