Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

5 Value Picks Boasting Strikingly Low EV/EBITDA Ratios

Published 08/07/2019, 06:50 AM
Updated 07/09/2023, 06:31 AM

The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, given its apparent simplicity, is preferred by many investors while uncovering stocks that are trading at attractive prices. A widely favored approach by value investors is to chase stocks that have a low P/E ratio. However, even this widely popular valuation metric is not without its pitfalls.

Is EV/EBITDA a Better Alternative to P/E?

While P/E enjoys huge popularity in the value investing world, a more complicated valuation metric called EV/EBITDA works even better. The ratio offers a clearer picture of a firm’s valuation and earnings potential. EV/EBITDA, also referred to as enterprise multiple, determines the total value of a firm, while P/E just considers its equity portion.

EV/EBITDA is essentially the enterprise value (EV) of a stock divided by its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). EV is the sum of a company’s market capitalization, its debt and preferred stock minus cash and cash equivalents. Simply put, it is the total value of a company.

EBITDA, the other constituent, is a true reflection of a company’s profitability as it strips out non-cash expenses like depreciation and amortization that reduce net earnings. It is also often used as a proxy for cash flows.

Just like P/E, the lower the EV/EBITDA ratio, the more appealing it is. A low EV/EBITDA ratio could be a sign that a stock is potentially undervalued.

However, unlike P/E ratio, EV/EBITDA takes into account the debt on a company’s balance sheet. For this reason, EV/EBITDA is usually used to value possible acquisition targets. Stocks with a low EV/EBITDA multiple could be seen as potential takeover candidates.

Another limitation of P/E is that it can’t be used to value a loss-making entity. A firm’s earnings are also subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. On the other hand, EV/EBITDA is difficult to manipulate and also can be used to value entities that have negative net earnings but are positive on the EBITDA front.

EV/EBITDA is also a useful yardstick in measuring the value of firms that are highly leveraged and have a high degree of depreciation. Moreover, it can be used to compare companies with different levels of debt.

Then again, EV/EBITDA has its flaws too. It varies across industries (a high-growth industry normally has higher multiple and vice versa) and is typically not appropriate while comparing stocks in different industries given their diverse capital expenditure requirements.

Thus, instead of just relying on EV/EBITDA, you can club it with the other major ratios such as price-to-book (P/B), P/E and price-to-sales (P/S) to achieve the desired results.

Screening Criteria

Here are the parameters to screen for value stocks:

EV/EBITDA 12 Months-Most Recent less than X-Industry Median: A lower EV/EBITDA ratio represents a cheaper valuation.

P/E using (F1) less than X-Industry Median: This metric screens stocks that are trading at a discount to their peers.

P/B less than X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that the stock is undervalued.

P/S less than X-Industry Median: The lower the P/S ratio the more attractive the stock is as investors will have to pay a smaller price for the same amount of sales generated by the company.

Estimated One-Year EPS Growth F(1)/F(0) greater than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter will help in screening stocks that have growth rates higher than the industry median. This is a meaningful indicator as decent earnings growth always adds to investor optimism.

Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 100,000: The addition of this metric ensures that shares can be traded easily.

Current Price greater than or equal to $5: This parameter will help in screening stocks that are trading at a minimum price of $5 or higher.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: No screening is complete without the Zacks Rank, which has proven its worth since inception. It is a fundamental truth that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) have always managed to beat adversities and outperform the market.

Value Score of less than or equal to 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 upside potential.

Here are five of the 13 stocks that passed the screen:

DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is a leading provider of kidney care services in the United States. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has an expected year-over-year earnings growth rate of 29.7% for the current year and a Value Score of A.

Kraton Corporation (NYSE:KRA) makes and markets biobased chemicals and specialty polymers. It is a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers and pine chemicals. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an expected year-over-year earnings growth rate of 36.4% for the current year. It also has a Value Score of A. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ADT Inc. (NYSE:ADT) provides security and automation solutions for homes and businesses primarily in the United States and Canada. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an expected year-over-year earnings growth rate of 675% for the current year and a Value Score of A.

Universal Forest Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPI) is a holding company of businesses that combine to create one of the largest producers of wood and wood-alternative products in North America. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an expected year-over-year earnings growth rate of 19.2% for the current year and a Value Score of A.

International Game Technology PLC (NYSE:IGT) is a gaming company engaged in design, development, manufacture and marketing of casino-style gaming equipment, systems technology and game content. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has an expected year-over-year earnings growth rate of 4.1% for the current year and a Value Score of A.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.



International Game Technology (IGT): Free Stock Analysis Report

Universal Forest Products, Inc. (UFPI): Free Stock Analysis Report

Kraton Corporation (KRA): Free Stock Analysis Report

DaVita Inc. (DVA): Free Stock Analysis Report

ADT Inc. (ADT): Free Stock Analysis Report

Original post

Zacks Investment Research

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.