Is Generac Holdings (GNRC) a Good 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 Generac Holdings Inc. GNRC 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, Generac Holdings has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.7, 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 20.7. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Generac Holdings’ current PE level puts it above its midpoint of 12.3 over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months.
 

Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 22.6. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Generac Holdings’ forward PE is roughly same as its trailing twelve months value, so we might say that the forward earnings estimates are incorporated in the company’s share price as of now. We define forward PE as current price relative to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current fiscal year.

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, Generac Holdings has a P/S ratio of about 1.9. This is quite lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.3 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this stands below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Generac Holdings currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Generac Holdings a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Generac Holdings is just 1.7, a level that is far lower than the industry average of 4.2. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, GNRC is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Generac Holdings 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 C and a Momentum Score of A. This gives GNRC a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of B. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been very encouraging. The current quarter and full year have seen seven and eight estimates go higher in the past thirty days, respectively compared to no downward revisions in the same time period.

This has had a meaningful impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 15.4% in the past month, while the full year estimate has jumped 6.6%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Generac Holdlings Inc. Price and Consensus
 

Generac Holdlings Inc. Price and Consensus | Generac Holdlings Inc. Quote

Thanks to this bullish trend, the company sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which indicates why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Generac Holdings is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Further, this Zacks Rank #1 stock enjoys a solid Zacks Industry Rank (among top 16% of more than 250 industries), which hints at favorable broader factors for the company.

So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.

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