Is China Petroleum (SNP) a Great 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 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation SNP  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, China Petroleumhas a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.6, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE ratio for the S&P 500 stands at about 21.2. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, China Petroleum’s current PE level puts it above its midpoint over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the broader industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 19.9. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that China Petroleum has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 12.1, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for China Petroleum 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, China Petroleum has a P/S ratio of about 0.3. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.4x 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.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, China Petroleum currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes China Petroleum a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though China Petroleum 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 C. This gives SNP 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 favorable. Both the current year and next year has seen one estimate go higher in the past sixty days compared to no movement in the opposite direction.

This has had a significant impact on the consensus estimate as the current year consensus estimate has increased 5.8% in the past two months, while the next year estimate has seen 4.6% growth. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Price and Consensus

 

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Price and Consensus | China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Quote

Buoyed by the bullish trends, the stock has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and we are looking for an outperformance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

China Petroleum is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, a strong industry rank (among Top 2% of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #2 instill our confidence on the stock. In fact, over the past two years, the broader industry has clearly outperformed the market at large, as you can see below:

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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