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 Tivity Health, 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, Tivity Health has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 7.8, 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 17.7. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Tivity Health’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint of 22.4 and in line with the lower end over the past three years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Medical sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.1. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Tivity Health has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 7.9, which is tad higher than the current level. So it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near term.
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, Tivity Health has a P/S ratio of about 1.3. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.2 right now. This is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, TVTY is roughly near 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, Tivity Health currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Tivity Health a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Tivity Health is just 0.8, a level that is lower than the industry average of 1.7. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, Tivity Health is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Tivity Health 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 Score of A and a Momentum Score of A. This gives TVTY a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
However, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been disappointing. The current quarter has seen four estimates go lower in the past sixty days compared to no movement in the opposite direction, while the full year estimate has seen five down and two up in the same time period.
This has had a negative impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has declined by 5.3% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has decreased by 3.3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Despite the bearish analyst sentiments, the stock holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Thus, we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Tivity Health is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible line up of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among top 32% of more than 250 industries) instils our confidence. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Medical Services industry has clearly outperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
However, with a Zacks Rank #3 it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. 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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This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 – 2018, while the S&P averaged +4.8% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +56.2% per year.
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Is Tivity Health (TVTY) a Great Stock for Value Investors?
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 Tivity Health, 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, Tivity Health has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 7.8, 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 17.7. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Tivity Health’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint of 22.4 and in line with the lower end over the past three years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Medical sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.1. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Tivity Health has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 7.9, which is tad higher than the current level. So it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near term.
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, Tivity Health has a P/S ratio of about 1.3. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.2 right now. This is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, TVTY is roughly near 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, Tivity Health currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Tivity Health a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Tivity Health is just 0.8, a level that is lower than the industry average of 1.7. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, Tivity Health is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Tivity Health 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 Score of A and a Momentum Score of A. This gives TVTY a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
However, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been disappointing. The current quarter has seen four estimates go lower in the past sixty days compared to no movement in the opposite direction, while the full year estimate has seen five down and two up in the same time period.
This has had a negative impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has declined by 5.3% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has decreased by 3.3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Despite the bearish analyst sentiments, the stock holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Thus, we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Tivity Health is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible line up of statistics on this front. Further, a strong industry rank (among top 32% of more than 250 industries) instils our confidence. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Medical Services industry has clearly outperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
However, with a Zacks Rank #3 it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. 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.
Today's Best Stocks from Zacks
Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2018, while the S&P 500 gained +15.8%, five of our screens returned +38.0%, +61.3%, +61.6%, +68.1%, and +98.3%.
This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 – 2018, while the S&P averaged +4.8% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +56.2% per year.
See their latest picks free >>