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Is Prudential plc (PUK) a Great Stock for Value Investors?
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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 Prudential plc (PUK - 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, Prudential plc has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 8.45, 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 17.79. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Prudential plc’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.98. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
However, we should point out that Prudential plc has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 9.85, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates indicate that the company’s share price will likely appreciate in the near future.
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, Prudential plc has a P/S ratio of about 1.63. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.22 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is just slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
PUK is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Prudential plc 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 Prudential plc a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Prudential plc is 1.09, a level that is slightly lower than the industry average of 1.13. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 8.46, which is better than the industry average of 9.66. Clearly, PUK is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Prudential plc 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 B and a Momentum score of C. This gives PUK 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 current year as well as the next year have not seen any estimate revisions in the past sixty days.
Despite this, the current year consensus estimate has risen by 3.4% in the past two months, while the next year estimate has increased 8.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Prudential Public Limited Company Price and Consensus
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Prudential plc is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, a robust industry rank (among the Top 4%) and top Zacks Rank instills investor confidence.
However, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall as over the past two years, the industry has underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Despite the poor past performance of the industry, a good industry rank signals that the stock is likely to benefit from favorable broader factors in the immediate future. Add to this the positive estimate revisions and robust value metrics, and we believe that we have a strong value contender in Prudential plc.
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One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, “7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire.”
Image: Bigstock
Is Prudential plc (PUK) 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 Prudential plc (PUK - 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, Prudential plc has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 8.45, 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 17.79. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Prudential plc’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 13.98. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
However, we should point out that Prudential plc has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 9.85, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates indicate that the company’s share price will likely appreciate in the near future.
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, Prudential plc has a P/S ratio of about 1.63. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.22 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is just slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
PUK is actually in the higher zone of its trading range in the time period per the P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Prudential plc 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 Prudential plc a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Prudential plc is 1.09, a level that is slightly lower than the industry average of 1.13. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 8.46, which is better than the industry average of 9.66. Clearly, PUK is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Prudential plc 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 B and a Momentum score of C. This gives PUK 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 current year as well as the next year have not seen any estimate revisions in the past sixty days.
Despite this, the current year consensus estimate has risen by 3.4% in the past two months, while the next year estimate has increased 8.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Prudential Public Limited Company Price and Consensus
Prudential Public Limited Company price-consensus-chart | Prudential Public Limited Company Quote
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Prudential plc is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, a robust industry rank (among the Top 4%) and top Zacks Rank instills investor confidence.
However, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall as over the past two years, the industry has underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Despite the poor past performance of the industry, a good industry rank signals that the stock is likely to benefit from favorable broader factors in the immediate future. Add to this the positive estimate revisions and robust value metrics, and we believe that we have a strong value contender in Prudential plc.
Will you retire a millionaire?
One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, “7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire.”
Click to get it free >>