Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 5 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Business Support Services industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Why Focus on Undervalued Business Support Services Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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5 Undervalued Business Support Services Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 5 undervalued stocks in the Business Support Services industry for Thursday, February 29, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Business Support Services industry median.

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

CompoSecure Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

CompoSecure, Inc. is a technology partner to fintechs and consumers around the globe. The Company is a provider of premium financial payment cards and cryptocurrency and digital asset storage and security solutions. Its payment card technology and metal cards with Arculus security and authentication capabilities delivers premium branded experiences, enable people to access and use their financial and digital assets, and ensure trust at the point of a transaction. The Company designs and manufactures metal cards, which includes contact and dual interface cards. Its primary metal form factors include Embedded Metal, Metal Veneer Lite, Metal Veneer and Full Metal. The Arculus platform is offered through partner-branded solutions, which include a partner-branded version of the Arculus Key card, as well as some or all of the Arculus Cold Storage Wallet and other Arculus products and/or services. Its clients include international, foreign and domestic banks, and other credit card issuers.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

CompoSecure Inc has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at CompoSecure Inc’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.24 compared to the industry median at 1.47, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make CompoSecure Inc’s stock more attractive for value investors.

CompoSecure Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 5.74 compared to the industry median at 27.12. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make CompoSecure Inc more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess CompoSecure Inc’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 8.5, when compared to the industry median of 10.8, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. CompoSecure Inc’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 0.00%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

Lastly, let’s take a look at CompoSecure Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. CompoSecure Inc’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 14.50. This could make CompoSecure Inc more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that CompoSecure Inc is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Emerald Holding Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Emerald Holding, Inc. is an operator of business-to-business (B2B) trade shows in the United States. The Company is engaged in building market platforms that integrate live events, media content, industry insights, digital tools, data-focused solutions, and e-commerce platforms through its three business lines: Connections, Content and Commerce. Its segments include Commerce, Design, Creative & Technology, All Other, and Corporate-Level Activity. The Commerce segment includes events and services covering merchandising, licensing, retail sourcing and marketing to enable professionals to make informed decisions and meet consumer demands. The Design, Creative & Technology segment includes events and services that support a variety of industries connecting businesses and professionals with products and operational strategies. It offers B2B e-commerce and digital merchandising solutions, serving the needs of manufacturers and retailers through its Elastic Suite and Bulletin platforms.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Emerald Holding Inc has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.

Emerald Holding Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Emerald Holding Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.75.

You can read more about Emerald Holding Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Lesaka Technologies Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Lesaka Technologies, Inc. is a South Africa-based financial technology (Fintech) company. The Company utilizes its proprietary banking and payment technologies to deliver financial services solutions to merchants (B2B) and consumers (B2C) in Southern Africa. It offers cash management solutions, growth capital, card acquiring, bill payment technologies and value-added services to formal and informal retail merchants as well as banking, lending, and insurance solutions to consumers across Southern Africa. The Company operates through two segments: Consumer and Merchant. The Consumer segment includes activities related to the provision of financial services to customers. Its products include transactional banking, short-term loans, a digital wallet as well as insurance and various value-added services (VAS) to underserved consumers in South Africa. The Merchant segment includes activities related to the provision of goods and services provided to corporate and other juristic entities.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Lesaka Technologies Inc has a Value Score of 61, which is considered to be undervalued.

Lesaka Technologies Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Lesaka Technologies Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.75.

You can read more about Lesaka Technologies Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Onfolio Holdings Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Onfolio Holdings Inc. acquires and manages a diversified portfolio of online businesses across a range of verticals, each with a niche content focus and brand identity. It is focused on website management, digital services, advertising and content placement on its websites, product sales, and digital product sales. It operates through business models: direct-to-consumer eCommerce, business-to-business (B2B) search engine optimization and marketing services, as well as B2B digital products. It owns and/or manages over 20 websites, including Mightydeals.com, Vital-Reaction.com, Allthingsdogs.com, Prettyneatcreative.com, Digitallyapproved.com, SEOButler.com, Preventdirectaccess.com/Passwordprotectwp.com and others. Mightydeals.com is a vendor of design bundles and deals for freelance designers, agencies, hobbyists and solopreneurs. Allthingsdogs.com is a publishing website in the pet dog vertical. Prettyneatcreative.com is an eCommerce website in the diamond painting niche.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Onfolio Holdings Inc has a Value Score of 64, which is considered to be undervalued.

Onfolio Holdings Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Onfolio Holdings Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.75.

You can read more about Onfolio Holdings Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Splitit Ltd’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Splitit Ltd is an Israel-based company engaged primarily in the provision of payment solutions. The Company offers Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions through its Installments-as-a-Service platform. The Company offers Splitit, a payment method solution enabling customers to pay for purchases with an existing debit or credit card by splitting the cost into interest-free monthly payments, without the need for additional registrations or applications. The Company has an installments-payment offer for multiple types of transactions and clients: E-commerce installments, which enable end-to-end journey with white-label installments, VPOS Installments, which enable In-person, over-the-phone, and online installment solutions, and Pay after delivery solutions, which enable customers of businesses cooperating with the Company to pay after delivery.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Splitit Ltd has a Value Score of 86, which is considered to be undervalued.

Splitit Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Splitit Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 2.75.

You can read more about Splitit Ltd’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Other Business Support Services Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Business Support Services stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 5 Best Business Support Services Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

• CompoSecure Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Emerald Holding Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Lesaka Technologies Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Onfolio Holdings Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Splitit Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 undervalued stocks in the Business Support Services industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Additional Resources About Business Support Services Stocks

Want to learn more about Business Support Services stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

• 5 Undervalued Business Support Services Stocks for Thursday, February 29
• Which Is a Better Investment, AvidXchange Holdings Inc or Payoneer Global Inc Stock?
• 7 Undervalued Business Support Services Stocks for Wednesday, February 28
• What You Need to Know About AvidXchange Holdings Inc's Q4 Earnings

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.