Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 3 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Airlines 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 Airlines 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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3 Undervalued Airlines Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 3 undervalued stocks in the Airlines industry for Friday, June 21, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Airlines 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.

Allegiant Travel Company’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Allegiant Travel Company is a leisure travel company focused on providing travel and leisure services and products to residents of under-served cities in the United States. The Company provides various travel services and products, including scheduled service air transportation, ancillary air-related products and services, third party products and services, and fixed-fee contract air transportation. The Company operates through two segments: Airline and Sunseeker Resort. The Airline segment operates as a single business unit and includes all scheduled service air transportation, ancillary air-related products and services, third party products and services, fixed fee contract air transportation and other airline-related revenue. The Sunseeker Resort segment operates as a single business unit and includes hotel rooms and suites for occupancy, group meeting facilities, food and beverage options, the Aileron Golf Course and other resort amenities.

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.

Allegiant Travel Company has a Value Score of 89, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Allegiant Travel Company’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.37 compared to the industry median at 0.31, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Allegiant Travel Company’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Allegiant Travel Company’s price-earnings ratio is 16.61 compared to the industry median at 9.48. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Allegiant Travel Company less attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Allegiant Travel Company’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 8.1, when compared to the industry median of 6.9, the company may be considered overvalued 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. Allegiant Travel Company’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.06%. 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.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Allegiant Travel Company’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.48. This could make Allegiant Travel Company more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

JetBlue Airways Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

JetBlue Airways Corporation provides air transportation services across the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Canada, and Europe. The Company's segments include Domestic & Canada, Caribbean & Latin America and Atlantic. It operates five types of aircraft: Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A321, Airbus A321neo, and Embraer E190. It offers an inflight entertainment system onboard on its aircraft, which includes free live TV on select routes and premium movie channel offerings from JetBlue Features. Its entire fleet is equipped with Fly-Fi, a broadband product that allows gate-to-gate Wi-Fi at every seat. Customers also have access to the Fly-Fi Hub, a content portal where customers can access a wide range of additional content from their own personal devices. It also sells vacation packages through its wholly owned subsidiary, JetBlue Travel Products, LLC (JBTP), which offers one-stop, value-priced vacation services for self-directed packaged travel planning.

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.

JetBlue Airways Corporation has a Value Score of 70, which is considered to be undervalued.

JetBlue Airways Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make JetBlue Airways Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.48.

You can read more about JetBlue Airways Corporation’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.

Spirit Airlines Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Spirit Airlines, Inc. offers affordable travel to value-conscious guests (Guests). The Company’s all-Airbus fleet is one of the most fuel efficient in the United States. It serves approximately 93 destinations in 15 countries throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) business model allows it to compete principally by offering Guests unbundled base fares that remove components traditionally included in the price of an airline ticket. It provides customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows its Guests to pay only for the options they choose like bags, seat assignments, refreshments and Wi-Fi - something the Company call A La Smarte. The Company operate the Spirit Saver$ Club, which is a subscription-based loyalty program that allows members access to unpublished, extra-low fares as well as discounted prices on bags and seats, shortcut boarding and security. It also operates the Free Spirit loyalty program.

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.

Spirit Airlines Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Spirit Airlines Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Spirit Airlines Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.48.

You can read more about Spirit Airlines 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.

Other Airlines 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 Airlines stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 3 Best Airlines 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.

• Allegiant Travel Company stock has a Value Grade of A.
• JetBlue Airways Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Spirit Airlines Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 3 undervalued stocks in the Airlines 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 Airlines Stocks

Want to learn more about Airlines 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.

• 3 Undervalued Airlines Stocks for Friday, June 21
• Why Sun Country Airlines Holdings Inc’s (SNCY) Stock Is Up 11.77%
• 3 Undervalued Airlines Stocks for Wednesday, June 19
• Why Allegiant Travel Company’s (ALGT) Stock Is Up 5.93%

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.