Yahoo Finance Should Value Investors Consider Crescent Point Energy (CPG) Stock?
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 Crescent Point Energy CPG 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, Crescent Point Energy has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 5.05, as you can see in the chart below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 18.33. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Crescent Point Energy’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint (which is 8.55) over the past five years. Moreover, the current level stands well below the highs for the stock, suggesting that it can be a solid entry point.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks Oils-Energy sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 5.91. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
We should also point out that Crescent Point Energy has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 5.51, which is higher than the current level. So, it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near term.
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, Crescent Point Energy has a P/S ratio of about 1.19. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.47x right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Crescent Point Energy currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Crescent Point Energy 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 2.45, which is far better than the industry average of 2.69. Clearly, CPG is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Crescent Point Energy 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 B. This gives CPG 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 not witnessed any revisions in the past 30 days. Although the current quarter consensus estimate has remained unchanged in a month, the full year estimate has increased by 3.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Crescent Point Energy Corporation Price and Consensus
Crescent Point Energy Corporation price-consensus-chart | Crescent Point Energy Corporation Quote
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
Crescent Point Energy is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (among Bottom 11% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. However, over the past two years, the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - Canadian industry has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
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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