Value investors widely favor the price-to-book (P/B) ratio for identifying low-priced stocks with exceptional returns. The ratio is used to compare a stock’s market value/price to its book value.
The P/B ratio is calculated as below:
P/B ratio = market price per share/book value of equity per share
P/B ratio reflects how many times book value investors are ready to pay for a share. So, if the share price is $10 and the book value of equity is $5, investors are ready to pay two times the book value. Ideally, a P/B value under 1.0 is considered good as it indicates that the stock is potentially undervalued. However, value investors often consider stocks with a P/B value under 3.0.
This metric can help identify attractively priced stocks with upside potential. Some such stocks are Harmony Biosciences Holdings HRMY, StoneCo STNE, General Motors GM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE and Nexa Resources NEXA. Let us understand the concept of book value.
What is Book Value?
There are several ways in which book value can be defined. Book value is the total value that would be left over, according to the company’s balance sheet, if it went bankrupt immediately. In other words, this is what shareholders would theoretically receive if a company liquidates all its assets after paying off all its liabilities.
It is calculated by subtracting total liabilities from the total assets of a company. In most cases, this equates to common stockholders’ equity on the balance sheet. However, depending on the company’s balance sheet, intangible assets should also be subtracted from total assets to determine book value.
Book Value Per Share = (Total Assets – Total Liabilities) ÷ Number of Outstanding Shares
Understanding P/B Ratio
By comparing the book value of equity to its market price, we get an idea of whether a company is under- or overpriced. Like P/E or P/S ratios, it is always better to compare the P/B ratio within industries.
A P/B ratio of less than one means that the stock is trading at less than its book value or the stock is undervalued and, therefore, a good buy. Conversely, a stock with a ratio greater than one can be interpreted as being overvalued or relatively expensive.
For example, a stock with a P/B ratio of 2 means that we pay $2 for every $1 of book value. Thus, the higher the P/B, the more expensive the stock.
But there is a warning. A P/B ratio of less than one can also mean that the company is earning weak or even negative returns on its assets or that the assets are overstated. In such a case, the stock should be shunned because it may be destroying shareholder value. Conversely, the stock’s price may be significantly high — thereby pushing the P/B ratio to more than one — in the likely case that it has become a takeover target, a good enough reason to own the stock.
Moreover, the P/B ratio is not without limitations. It is useful for businesses like finance, investments, insurance and banking or manufacturing companies with many liquid/tangible assets on the books. However, it can be misleading for firms with significant R&D expenditure, high debt, service companies, or those with negative earnings.
In any case, the ratio is not particularly relevant as a standalone number. One should analyze other ratios like P/E, P/S and debt to equity before arriving at a reasonable investment decision.
Screening Parameters
Price to Book (common Equity) less than X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.
Price to Sales less than X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how much the market values every dollar of the company’s sales/revenues — a lower ratio than the industry makes the stock attractive.
Price to Earnings using F(1) estimate less than X-Industry Median: The P/E ratio (F1) values a company based on its current share price relative to its estimated earnings per share — a lower ratio than the industry is considered better.
PEG less than 1: PEG links the P/E ratio to the future growth rate of the company. The PEG ratio portrays a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued, and investors need to pay less for a stock that has bright earnings growth prospects.
Current Price greater than or equal to $5: They must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than or equal to 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to #2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Value Score equal to A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a Value Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best opportunities in the value investing space.
5 Low Price-to-Book Stocks
Here are five of the 13 stocks that qualified for the screening:
Delaware-based Harmony Biosciences is a neuroscience company developing and commercializing therapies for sleep/wake disorders and rare neurological diseases.
Harmony Biosciences currently has a Value Score of A and a Zacks Rank #1. HRMY has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 32.6%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
StoneCo provides financial technology solutions. The company offers an end-to-end cloud-based technology platform to conduct electronic commerce across in-store, online and mobile channels. StoneCo is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
STNE has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A. STNE has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 23.6%.
Detroit, MI-based General Motors is one of the world’s largest automakers. General Motors, along with its strategic partners, produces, sells and services cars, trucks and parts under four core brands — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. General Motors assembles passenger cars, crossover vehicles, light trucks, sport-utility vehicles, vans and other vehicles.
GM currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A. The company has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 15.5%.
Headquartered in Houston, TX, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a global enterprise technology company. It provides hardware, software and services that help businesses store, process and manage data across on-premise, cloud and edge environments. The company serves enterprises, governments, telecom operators and financial institutions in more than 150 countries.
Hewlett Packard currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of B. The company has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 32.0%
Luxembourg City, Brazil-based Nexa Resources is an integrated zinc producer. It is engaged in developing and operating mining and smelting assets, primarily in Latin America. NEXA currently has a Value Score of A and a Zacks Rank #2. NEXA has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 34.0%.
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General Motors Company (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA): Free Stock Analysis Report
StoneCo Ltd. (STNE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. (HRMY): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).