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 PDC Energy, 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, PDC Energy has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11, as you can see in the chart below:
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This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 17.72. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, PDC Energy’s current PE level compares favorably with the midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Oils-Energy sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 10.12. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that PDC Energy has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 28.02, which is 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, PDC Energy has a P/S ratio of about 0.48. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.01x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well 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, PDC Energy currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes PDC Energy a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for PDC Energy is just 0.73, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.29. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, PDCE is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though PDC Energy 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 C. This gives PDCE 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 dismal at best. The current quarter has seen no estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to four lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and five down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has declined by 66% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has plummeted by 87.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
PDC Energy, Inc. Price and Consensus
Despite the sluggish trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
PDC Energy is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (among Bottom 45% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – United States industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
.jpg)
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.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>
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Is PDC Energy (PDCE) a Potential 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 PDC Energy, 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, PDC Energy has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11, 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 17.72. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, PDC Energy’s current PE level compares favorably with the midpoint over the past five years.
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Oils-Energy sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 10.12. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that PDC Energy has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 28.02, which is 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, PDC Energy has a P/S ratio of about 0.48. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.01x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well 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, PDC Energy currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes PDC Energy a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for PDC Energy is just 0.73, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.29. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, PDCE is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though PDC Energy 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 C. This gives PDCE 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 dismal at best. The current quarter has seen no estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to four lower, while the full year estimate has seen one up and five down in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate though as the current quarter consensus estimate has declined by 66% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has plummeted by 87.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
PDC Energy, Inc. Price and Consensus
PDC Energy, Inc. price-consensus-chart | PDC Energy, Inc. Quote
Despite the sluggish trend, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
PDC Energy is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (among Bottom 45% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Oil and Gas – Exploration and Production – United States industry has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
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.
5 Stocks Set to Double
Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.
Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>