Pick These 5 Price-to-Book Value Stocks for High Returns

In value stock analysis, most investors use the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio to search for lucrative stocks. However, there are other ratios that an investor can consider like the price-to-sales ratio (P/S) and price-to-book (P/B) ratio. The P/S ratio is simply price divided by sales. One of the reasons the P/S ratio is a better choice is that it looks at sales rather than earnings. However, the P/B ratio, though used less often, is also an easy-to-use valuation tool for identifying low-priced stocks with great returns.

The P/B ratio is calculated as below:

P/B ratio = market capitalization/book value of equity

The P/B ratio helps to identify low-priced stocks with high growth prospects. Ford Motor Company F, Paysafe Limited PSFE, The ODP Corporation ODP, Tri Pointe Homes TPH and KB Home KBH are some such stocks.

Now, let us understand the concept of book value.

What is Book Value?

There are several ways by 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 goes 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 the total assets to determine book value.

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. However, like P/E or P/S ratio, it is always better to compare P/B ratios 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 which 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.

Here are five of the 13 stocks that qualified the screening: 

Dearborn, MI-based Ford is one of the leading automakers in the world. It manufactures, markets and services cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles. 

Ford has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 7.67%. Ford currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A.

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Paysafe Limited is a specialized payments platform. The company enables businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through payment processing solutions, digital wallets, including the Skrill and Neteller brands, and online cash solutions, including paysafecard and Paysafecash.

PSFE has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A. Paysafe Limited has a projected 3–5-year EPS growth rate of 18.66%.

ODP provides business services, products and digital workplace technology solutions to small, medium and enterprise businesses. It is based in Florida.

ODP has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A at present. ODP has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 14.0%.

Tri Pointe Homes, headquartered in Irvine, CA, is involved in the design, construction and sale of single-family homes.

Tri Pointe Homes has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Value Score of A at present. TPH has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 13.0%.

Based in Los Angeles, CA, KB Home is a well-known homebuilder in the United States and one of the largest in the state. The company's revenues are generated from Homebuilding (accounting for 99.5% of fiscal 2023 total revenues) and Financial Services (0.5%) operations.

KB Home has a projected 3-5-year EPS growth rate of 11.06%. KBH currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Score of A. 

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.

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