Credit: Shutterstock photoValue 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 JetBlue Airways CorporationJBLU 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, JetBlue Airways has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11.44, as you can see in the chart below:
We should also point out that JetBlue Airways has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year's earnings) of 11.41, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for JetBlue Airways 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, JetBlue Airways has a P/S ratio of about 1.09. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.08 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is considerably below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading-at least compared to historical norms.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, JetBlue Airways currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of 'A', putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes JBLU 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 4.32, which is slighlty better than the industry average of 5.10. Clearly, JBLU is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though JetBlue Airways 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 grade of 'B' and a Momentum score of 'C'. This gives JBLU 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 encouraging. The current quarter has seen five estimates go higher in the past sixty days and one lower, while the full year estimate has seen seven upward revisions and one downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by about 6.4% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has increased 5.6%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
JetBlue Airways Corporation Price and Consensus
JetBlue Airways Corporation Price and Consensus | JetBlue Airways Corporation Quote
The stock holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which indicates expectations of in-line performance from the company in the near term. However, JetBlue Airways is enjoying bullish analyst sentiment, as indicated by the positive estimate revisions, and this works in the company's favor.
Bottom Line
JetBlue Airways is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, despite a decent industry rank (top 21% out of more than 250 industries), a Zacks Rank #3, makes it hard to get too excited about this company overall. However, over the past one year, the Zacks Transportation - Airline sector has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:
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JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU): Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
