Yahoo Finance Is Novartis (NVS) a Great Value Stock Right Now?
The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.
One company value investors might notice is Novartis (NVS). NVS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 11.45 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 13.61. Over the past 52 weeks, NVS's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.62 and as low as 11.45, with a median of 13.22.
Another notable valuation metric for NVS is its P/B ratio of 2.62. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 5.07. Over the past year, NVS's P/B has been as high as 3.46 and as low as 2.62, with a median of 3.02.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. NVS has a P/S ratio of 3.26. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.85.
Finally, investors should note that NVS has a P/CF ratio of 5.62. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 13.81. Over the past year, NVS's P/CF has been as high as 12.49 and as low as 5.62, with a median of 6.51.
Another great Large Cap Pharmaceuticals stock you could consider is Sanofi (SNY), which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.
Shares of Sanofi are currently trading at a forward earnings multiple of 8.75 and a PEG ratio of 0.91 compared to its industry's P/E and PEG ratios of 13.61 and 1.26, respectively.
SNY's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.54 and as low as 8.75, with a median of 11.92. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.32, as low as 0.91, with a median of 1.13.
Additionally, Sanofi has a P/B ratio of 1.24 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 5.07. For SNY, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.72, as low as 1.24, with a median of 1.59 over the past year.
These are only a few of the key metrics included in Novartis and Sanofi strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, NVS and SNY look like an impressive value stock at the moment.
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