So it’s a good idea to compare a stock’s debt to equity ratio to its industry to see how it stacks up to its peers first. For one, part of trading is being able to get in and out of a stock easily. If the volume is too light, in absolute terms or for a relatively large position, it could be difficult to execute a trade. This is also useful to know when comparing a stock’s daily volume (which can be found on a ticker’s hover-quote) to that of its average volume. A rising stock on above average volume is typically a bullish sign whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. The 1 Week Price Change displays the percentage price change over the last 5 trading days using the most recently completed close to the close from 5 days before.
It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style. The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. A higher number is better than a lower one as it shows how effective a company is at generating revenue from its assets. A sales/assets ratio of 2.50 means the company generated $2.50 in revenue for every $1.00 of assets on its books.
Since 1988 it has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.48% per year. These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through March 6, 2023. A simple, equally-weighted average return of all Zacks Rank stocks is calculated to determine the monthly return. The monthly returns are then compounded to arrive at the annual return. Only Zacks Rank stocks included in Zacks hypothetical portfolios at the beginning of each month are included in the return calculations. Zacks Ranks stocks can, and often do, change throughout the month.
If a stock’s EPS consensus estimate is $1.10 now vs. $1.00 the week before, that will be reflected as a 10% change. If, on the other hand, it went from $1.00 to 90 cents, that would be a -10% change in the consensus estimate revision. The X Industry values displayed in this column are the median values for all of the stocks within their respective industry.
Researching stocks has never been so easy or insightful as with the ZER Analyst and Snapshot reports. Debt to Capital (or D/C ratio) is the fraction of debt (including mortgages and long-term leases) to long-term capitalization. The VGM score is based on the trading styles of Growth, VAlue, and Momentum. For example, a regional bank would be classified in the Finance Sector. Within the Finance Sector, it would fall into the M Industry of Banks & Thrifts.
The income number is listed on a company’s Income Statement. The Earnings Yield (also known as the E/P ratio) measures the anticipated yield an investment in a stock could give you based on the earnings and the price paid. The Value Scorecard identifies the stocks most likely to outperform based on its valuation metrics. This list of both classic and unconventional valuation items helps separate which stocks are overvalued, rightly lowly valued, and temporarily undervalued which are poised to move higher. The ever popular one-page Snapshot reports are generated for virtually every single Zacks Ranked stock. It’s packed with all of the company’s key stats and salient decision making information.
In this case, it’s the cash flow growth that’s being looked at. A positive change in the cash flow is desired and shows that more ‘cash’ is coming in than ‘cash’ going out. Growth traders and investors will tend to look for growth rates of 20% or higher. That does not mean that all companies with large growth rates will have a favorable Growth Score. But, typically, an aggressive growth trader will be interested in the higher growth rates. The Price to Book ratio or P/B is calculated as market capitalization divided by its book value.
Certain Zacks Rank stocks for which no month-end price was available, pricing information was not collected, or for certain other reasons have been excluded from these return calculations. A higher number means the more debt a company has compared to its capital structure. Investors like this metric as it shows how a company finances its operations, i.e., what percentage is financed thru shareholder equity or debt. A ratio under 40% is generally considered to be good.But note; this ratio can vary widely from industry to industry. So be sure to compare it to its group when comparing stocks in different industries.
But note, different industries have different margin rates that are considered good. And margin rates can vary significantly across these different groups. So, when comparing one stock to another in a different industry, it’s best make relative comparisons to that stock’s respective industry values. Note; companies will typically sell for more than their book value in much the same way that a company will sell at a multiple of its earnings. While a P/B of less than 3 would mean it’s trading at a discount to the market, different industries have different median P/B values. So, as with other valuation metrics, it’s a good idea to compare it to its relevant industry.
A company with an ROE of 10%, for example, means it created 10 cents of assets for every $1 of shareholder equity in a given year. Seeing how a company makes use of its equity, and the return generated on it, is an important measure to look at. ROE values, like other values, can vary significantly from one industry to another. It’s typically categorized as a valuation metric and is most often quoted as Cash Flow per Share and as a Price to Cash flow ratio.
Inflation & Prices
It’s then divided by the number of shares outstanding to determine how much cash is generated per share. For example, a cash/price ratio, or cash yield, of .08 suggests an 8% return or 8 cents for every $1 of investment. This time period essentially shows you how the consensus estimate has changed from the time of their last earnings report. Ideally, an investor would like to see a positive EPS change percentage in all periods, i.e., 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Earnings estimate revisions are the most important factor influencing stocks prices. It’s an integral part of the Zacks Rank and a critical part in effective stock evaluation.
It takes the consensus estimate for the current fiscal year divided by the EPS for the last completed fiscal year . The Price to Sales ratio or P/S is calculated as price divided by sales. After the P/E ratio, it’s one of the most common valuation metrics. The VGM Score are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank.
Business
Some investors seek out stocks with the best percentage price change over the last 52 weeks, expecting that momentum to continue. Others look for those that have lagged the market, believing those are the ones ripe for the biggest increases to come. While earnings are the driving metric behind stock prices, there wouldn’t be any earnings to calculate if there weren’t any sales to begin with. Like earnings, a higher growth rate is better than a lower growth rate. Seeing a company’s projected sales growth instantly tells you what the outlook is for their products and services. As a point of reference, over the last 10 years, the median sales growth for the stocks in the S&P 500 was 14%.
The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank would place in the bottom 1%. An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1’s and #2’s will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4’s and #5’s. You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating indiv idual securities.
Our testing substantiates this with the optimum range for price performance between 0-20. A higher number means the company has more debt to equity, whereas a lower number means it has less debt to equity. A D/E ratio of 1 means its debt is equivalent to its common equity. When comparing this ratio to different stocks in different industries, take note that some businesses are more capital intensive than others. A D/E ratio of 2 might be par for the course in one industry, while 0.50 would be considered normal for another.
Value Scorecard
Including the Zacks Rank, Zacks Industry Rank, Style Scores, the Price, Consensus & Surprise chart, graphical estimate analysis and how a stocks stacks up to its peers. The 20 Day Average Volume is the average daily trading volume over the last 20 trading days. The Sales to Assets ratio (or Sales to Total Assets or S/TA for short) shows how much sales are generated from a company’s assets. As the name suggests, it’s calculated as sales divided by assets. This is also commonly referred to as the Asset Utilization ratio. Projected EPS Growth looks at the estimated growth rate for one year.
But, it’s made even more meaningful when looking at the longer-term 4 week percent change. And, of course, the 4 week change helps put the 1 week change into context. This shows the percentage of profit a company earns on its sales. This ratio essentially compares the P/E to its growth rate, thus, for many, telling a more complete story than just the P/E ratio alone. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B.
Financials
Of course, different industries will have different growth rates that are considered good. So be sure to compare a stock to its industry’s growth rate when sizing up stocks from different groups. If a company’s net margin is 15%, for example, that means its net income is 15 cents for every $1 of sales the company makes. A change in margin can reflect either a change in business conditions, or a company’s cost controls, or both. If a company’s expenses are growing faster than their sales, this will reduce their margins.
The Historical Cash Flow Growth is the longer-term (3-5 year annualized) growth rate of the cash flow change. Once again, cash flow is net income plus depreciation and other non-cash charges. The Price to Cash Flow ratio or P/CF is price divided by its cash flow per share. It’s another great way to determine whether a company is undervalued or overvalued with the denominator being cash flow. The Cash/Price ratio is calculated as cash and marketable securities per share divided by the stock price. The Momentum Scorecard focuses on price and earnings momentum and indicates when the timing is right to enter a stock.