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Should Value Investors Pick Orion Engineered Carbons (OEC) Stock?
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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 Orion Engineered Carbons, S.A. (OEC - 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, Orion Engineered Carbons has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.1, 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 20.2. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Orion Engineered Carbons’ current PE ratio slightly above its midpoint (which is 14.2) over the past three years.
However, the stock’s PE compares unfavorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 14.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively overvalued right now, compared to its peers.
Nonetheless, we should also point out that Orion Engineered Carbons has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.9, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Orion Engineered Carbons’ 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, Orion Engineered Carbons has a P/S ratio of about 1.4. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.5 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Orion Engineered Carbons currently has a Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes OEC a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 9.9, which is slightly better than the industry average of 10.4. Clearly, OEC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Orion Engineered Carbons 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 F. This gives OEC a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days, compared to none lower, while the full-year 2019 estimate has seen a similar trend in the same time period.
This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current year consensus estimate has risen about 3.3% in the past two months, while the full-year 2019 estimate has increased nearly 2%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
This favorable trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for better performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Orion Engineered Carbons is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Its strong Zacks Rank also indicates robust growth potential in the near future. However, the company’s prospects might be constrained due to adverse broader factors, as it has a sluggish industry rank (bottom 36% out of more than 250 industries). In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Despite positive estimate revisions, value investors might want to wait for broader factors and industry trends to turn around first. When they do, this stock could be a compelling value pick.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
Image: Bigstock
Should Value Investors Pick Orion Engineered Carbons (OEC) Stock?
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 Orion Engineered Carbons, S.A. (OEC - 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, Orion Engineered Carbons has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 16.1, 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 20.2. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Orion Engineered Carbons’ current PE ratio slightly above its midpoint (which is 14.2) over the past three years.
However, the stock’s PE compares unfavorably with the industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 14.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively overvalued right now, compared to its peers.
Nonetheless, we should also point out that Orion Engineered Carbons has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 14.9, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Orion Engineered Carbons’ 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, Orion Engineered Carbons has a P/S ratio of about 1.4. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.5 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Orion Engineered Carbons currently has a Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes OEC a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 9.9, which is slightly better than the industry average of 10.4. Clearly, OEC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Orion Engineered Carbons 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 F. This gives OEC a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days, compared to none lower, while the full-year 2019 estimate has seen a similar trend in the same time period.
This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current year consensus estimate has risen about 3.3% in the past two months, while the full-year 2019 estimate has increased nearly 2%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Orion Engineered Carbons S.A Price and Consensus
Orion Engineered Carbons S.A Price and Consensus | Orion Engineered Carbons S.A Quote
This favorable trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for better performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Orion Engineered Carbons is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Its strong Zacks Rank also indicates robust growth potential in the near future. However, the company’s prospects might be constrained due to adverse broader factors, as it has a sluggish industry rank (bottom 36% out of more than 250 industries). In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Despite positive estimate revisions, value investors might want to wait for broader factors and industry trends to turn around first. When they do, this stock could be a compelling value pick.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
Click to see them right now >>