Is Commercial Metals (CMC) A Good Stock For Value Investors?
Zacks Investment Research | Apr 01, 2019 10:00PM ET
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 Commercial Metals Company (NYSE:CMC) 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, Commercial Metals has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11.25, 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 17.88. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Commercial Metals’ 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 12.58. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
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We should also point out that Commercial Metals has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 9.05, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Commercial Metals 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, Commercial Metals has a P/S ratio of about 0.40. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.26 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 at 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, Commercial Metals 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 Commercial Metals a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the PEG ratio for Commercial Metals is just 0.75, a level that is lower than the industry average of 1.18. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, CMC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Commercial Metals 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 D. This gives CMC a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores Zacks Investment Research
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