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 Louisiana-Pacific CorporationLPX 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, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.3, as you can see in the chart below:
We should also point out that Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year's earnings) of just 9.5, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation's 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, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has a P/S ratio of about 1.4. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.3 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is noticeably below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading-at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation currently has a Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes LPX a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 8.7, which is slightly better than the industry average of 11.9. Clearly, LPX is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Louisiana-Pacific Corporation 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 A. This gives LPX a 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 encouraging. The current quarter has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days and none lower, while the full year estimate has seen four upward and no downward revisions in the same time period.
This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has increased about 24.3% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has risen nearly 11.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Price and Consensus
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Price and Consensus | Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Quote
This bullish trend is why the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. With a formidable industry rank (top 5% out of more than 250 industries) and top Zacks Rank, LPX looks like a strong value contender. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
