Should Value Investors Pick Procter & Gamble (PG) Stock 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 The Procter & Gamble Company PG 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, Procter & Gamble has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 19.6, 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 20.4. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Procter & Gamble’s current PE level puts it slightly below its midpoint over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 23.7. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Procter & Gamble has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 19.5, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Procter & Gamble 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, Procter & Gamble has a P/S ratio of about 3.3. This is marginally lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.4 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

As we can see, the stock is trading around its median value for the time period from a P/S metric. This does not provide us with a conclusive direction as to the relative valuation of the stock in comparison to its historical trend.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Procter & Gamble 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 Procter & Gamble a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Procter & Gamble 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 C and a Momentum score of B. This gives PG a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current fiscal quarter has seen zero estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to six lower, while the fiscal full year estimate has seen eight upward and no downward revisions in the same time period.

As a result, the current fiscal quarter consensus estimate has fallen by 2% in the past two months, while the fiscal full year estimate has inched up by 0.7%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Procter & Gamble Company (The) Price and Consensus
 

Procter & Gamble Company (The) Price and Consensus | Procter & Gamble Company (The) Quote

This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Procter & Gamble is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, a strong industry rank (Top 43% out of more than 250 industries) further supports the growth potential of the stock.

However, with a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the industry has 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. Moreover, broader factors at the industry level support the growth potential of the company as well.

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