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Is America's Car-Mart (CRMT) Stock a Suitable Value Pick Now?
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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 America's Car-Mart, Inc. (CRMT - 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, America's Car-Mart has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 13.96, 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 20.23. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, America's Car-Mart’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 28.86. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that America's Car-Mart has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 13.59, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for America's Car-Mart 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, America's Car-Mart has a P/S ratio of about 1.08. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.50 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
CRMT 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, America's Car-Mart 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 America's Car-Mart a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though America's Car-Mart 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 D and a Momentum score of F. This gives CRMT a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of D. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current fiscal quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the fiscal full year estimate has seen three upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current fiscal quarter consensus estimate has risen by 1.1% in the past two months, while the fiscal full year estimate has increased 2.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
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
America's Car-Mart is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Boasting a strong industry rank (among the top 1%) and a top Zacks Rank, the company deserves attention right now. In fact, over the past year, the industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that 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 Q3 2019, while the S&P 500 gained +39.6%, five of our strategies returned +51.8%, +57.5%, +96.9%, +119.0%, and even +158.9%.
This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 – Q3 2019, while the S&P averaged +5.6% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.1% per year.
Image: Bigstock
Is America's Car-Mart (CRMT) Stock a Suitable Value Pick Now?
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 America's Car-Mart, Inc. (CRMT - 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, America's Car-Mart has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 13.96, 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 20.23. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, America's Car-Mart’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 28.86. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that America's Car-Mart has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 13.59, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for America's Car-Mart 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, America's Car-Mart has a P/S ratio of about 1.08. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.50 right now. As we can see in the chart below, this is slightly below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
CRMT 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, America's Car-Mart 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 America's Car-Mart a solid choice for value investors.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though America's Car-Mart 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 D and a Momentum score of F. This gives CRMT a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of D. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current fiscal quarter has seen two estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the fiscal full year estimate has seen three upward and zero downward revisions in the same time period.
As a result, the current fiscal quarter consensus estimate has risen by 1.1% in the past two months, while the fiscal full year estimate has increased 2.9%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
America's Car-Mart, Inc. Price and Consensus
America's Car-Mart, Inc. price-consensus-chart | America's Car-Mart, Inc. 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
America's Car-Mart is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Boasting a strong industry rank (among the top 1%) and a top Zacks Rank, the company deserves attention right now. In fact, over the past year, the industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that 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 Q3 2019, while the S&P 500 gained +39.6%, five of our strategies returned +51.8%, +57.5%, +96.9%, +119.0%, and even +158.9%.
This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 – Q3 2019, while the S&P averaged +5.6% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.1% per year.
See their latest picks free >>