Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6515
    -0.0003 (-0.05%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    107,732.41
    -463.87 (-0.43%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • AUD/EUR

    0.6038
    +0.0004 (+0.06%)
     
  • AUD/NZD

    1.0899
    -0.0003 (-0.03%)
     
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     

Is Best Buy (BBY) a Profitable Pick 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 Best Buy Co., Inc. BBY 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

On this front, Best Buy has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.02, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 20.33. However, if we focus on the long-term PE trend, Best Buy’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint of 13.45 over the past five years.

The stock’s PE however compares quite favorably with the Retail-Wholesale Market’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 28.84. This indicates that the stock is undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

Meanwhile Best Buy has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 14.92, which is slightly lower than the current level. So, so it is fair to say that a more value-oriented path is ahead of the stock 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, Best Buy has a P/S ratio of just 0.55. This is quite lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.52x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is much below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Best Buy currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Best Buy a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Best Buy 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 C and a Momentum Score of C. This gives BBY a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been bullish. While the current-quarter estimate has seen seven upward and no downward movements, the current-year estimate has also seen nine upward and no downward movements over the past two months.

This has had a positive effect on the consensus estimate. While the current-quarter consensus has increased 4.5% over the past two months, the current-year estimate has also climbed 3.3%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Best Buy Co., Inc. Price and Consensus

Best Buy Co., Inc. Price and Consensus
Best Buy Co., Inc. Price and Consensus

Best Buy Co., Inc. price-consensus-chart | Best Buy Co., Inc. Quote

Such bullish analyst sentiments is the reason why the stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Best Buy is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite a sluggish industry rank (among Bottom 11% of more than 250 industries), a Zacks Rank #2 instils investors’ optimism the stock.

Also, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly outperformed the market at large, as you can see below:

We believe, despite a sluggish industry rank, bullish analyst sentiments, favorable past industry performance and a good Zacks rank signal that the stock is likely to benefit from favorable broader factors in the immediate future. Add to this robust value metrics, and we believe that we have a strong value contender in Best Buy.

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 >>


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research