Is Atento (ATTO) a Great Stock for Value Investors?

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 Atento S.A. ATTO 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, Atento has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 14.18, 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 22.19. While Atento’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past few years, it stands below the highs for the stock, indicating scope for entry.

Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Business Services sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 26.10. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
 

We should also point out that Atento has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 11.30, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Atento 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, Atento has a P/S ratio of about 0.41. This is much lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.52 right now. This makes the stock undervalued from the P/S aspect too.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Atento currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Atento a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Atento is just 0.75, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 1.87. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 5.17, which is far better than the industry average of 17.12. Clearly, ATTO is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Atento 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 Score of A and a Momentum Score of D. This gives ATTO a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been slightly discouraging. Whil the current quarter estimate has not witnessed any estimate revisions over the past 60 days, the full year estimate has seen one downward revision and no upward revisions in the same time period.

This has had a slightly negative impact on the consensus estimate though, as the full year estimate has dipped 1.3% in the past two months, while the current quarter consensus estimate has remained unchanged. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Atento S.A. Price and Consensus
 

Atento S.A. Price and Consensus | Atento S.A. Quote

Given this trend, the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Atento is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Despite a Zacks Rank #3, the company enjoys a solid Zacks Industry Rank (among top 41% of more than 250 industries), which highlights favorable broader factors.

So, value investors might want to wait for estimates to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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