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 LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (LYB Quick QuoteLYB - 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, LyondellBasell has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 9.65, 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 compares in at about 20.17. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts LyondellBasell’s current PE ratio below its midpoint over the past five years, with the number having trended upwards roughly over the past few months.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Chemicals-Diversified sub-industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 17.30. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is significantly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that LyondellBasell has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 8.91, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for LyondellBasell 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, LyondellBasell has a P/S ratio of about 1.27. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.06 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is tad below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, LyondellBasell 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 LyondellBasell a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for LyondellBasell is 1.11, a level that is lower than the industry average of 1.80. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, LYB is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though LyondellBasell 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 ‘C’ and a Momentum score of ‘A’. This gives LYB 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 quite encouraging. The current quarter has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to no lower, while the full year estimate has seen four up and four down in the same time period.

This has had a considerable impact on the consensus estimate,as the current quarter consensus estimate jumped 9% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has inched upward by 1.7%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

LyondellBasell Industries NV Price and Consensus

 

LyondellBasell Industries NV Price and Consensus | LyondellBasell Industries NV Quote

Despite this bullish trend, we have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) on the stock, which indicates expectations of  in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

LyondellBasell is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, a good industry rank (among Top 36% of more than 250 industries) increases our confidence on the stock.

However, with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. Also, over the past two years, the Zacks Chemical-Diversified industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

So, value investors might want to wait for broader factors to to turn favorable in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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