If you are not certain whether to invest your
money in bonds or stocks, a key parameter, which can show you the
right path, is earnings yield. It is the reciprocal of the
price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. This ratio can be effectively used
for finding out undervalued stocks. Also, this ratio is useful for
comparing stocks with the market or fixed income securities.
Earnings yield can be computed as (annual earnings per share/market
price) x 100. While comparing similar stocks, the one with high
earnings yield should provide higher returns.
This ratio is extremely handy for comparing the performance of the
market with the 10-year Treasury yield. When the yield of the
market index is higher than the 10-year Treasury yield, stocks are
said to be undervalued in comparison to bonds. This implies that
investing in the stock market is a better choice for a value
investor.
However, while T-bills are devoid of risks, investing in stocks
always carries some inherent risks. Hence, it will be prudent to
add a risk premium to the Treasury yield while comparing with the
earnings yield of a stock or the broader market.
The Winning Strategy
We have set Earnings Yield greater than 10% as our
primary screening criterion but it alone cannot be used for picking
stocks that have the potential to generate solid returns. So, we
have added the following parameters to the screen:
Estimated EPS growth for the next 12 months greater than or
equal to the S&P 500: This metric compares the
12-month forward EPS estimate with the 12-month actual EPS.
Average Daily Volume (20 Day) greater than or equal to
100,000: High trading volume implies that a stock has
adequate liquidity.
Current Price greater than or equal to $5.
Buy-Rated Stocks: Stocks with a Zacks Rank #1
(Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) have been known to outperform peers in any
type of market environment. You can see the complete list
of todayâs Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Here are four of the 23 stocks that made it
through the screen:
Tenet Healthcare Corporation THC is a
multinational investor-owned healthcare services company. It has a
Zacks Rank #2 and an expected EPS growth rate of 23.3% for the next
3â5 years.
Tutor Perini Corporation TPC provides diversified
general contracting, construction management and design-build
services to private clients and public agencies worldwide.It has a
Zacks Rank #2 and an expected EPS growth rate of 10% for the next
3â5 years.
CommScope Holding Company, Inc. COMM is a premier
network infrastructure provider. It sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has
an expected EPS growth rate of 4% for the next 3â5 years.
Cigna Corporation CI is a global health service
company dedicated to helping people improve their health,
well-being and sense of security.It has a Zacks Rank #2 and an
expected EPS growth rate of 12.4% for the next 3â5 years.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now
for a 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard stock picking and
backtesting software. You can also create your own strategies and
test them first before making investments.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use.
Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start
your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an
economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in,
and see what gems come out.
Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research
Wizard today.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks
Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or
hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in
this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or
have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions
in options that are mentioned in this material.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacksâ portfolios and
strategies are available at:
https://www.zacks.com/performance.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research?
Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free
report
CommScope Holding Company,
Inc. (COMM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Tutor Perini Corporation
(TPC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Cigna Corporation (CI) :
Free Stock Analysis Report
Tenet Healthcare
Corporation (THC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on
Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research