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 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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5 Undervalued Airlines 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 Airlines industry for Monday, July 29, 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.

Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Air France KLM-SA is France-based airline company. The Company is engaged in passenger transportation. Its activities also include cargo, aeronautics maintenance and other air-transport-related activities, including catering. The Company's two sub-groups Air France and KLM have a flyer program, Flying Blue, which enables members to acquire miles as they fly with airline partners or from transactions with non-airline partners. Its activities include Passenger transport, Cargo transport, Maintenance and Other activities. The Company's network is organized around the hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. With these two hubs, the Company links Europe to the rest of the world, with approximately 320 destinations in over 115 countries. Transavia, the Company's subsidiary, has operations in the Netherlands and France directed at medium-haul leisure customers, as well as through its charter flights and tour operators.

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.

Air France KLM SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 99, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.07 compared to the industry median at 0.27, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 2.42 compared to the industry median at 6.62. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Air France KLM SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 3.3, when compared to the industry median of 6.8, 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. Air France KLM SA (ADR)’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.15%. 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.

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 91, which is considered to be undervalued.

Allegiant Travel Company’s price-earnings ratio is 16.6 compared to the industry median at 6.6. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Allegiant Travel Company less attractive for value investors.

Allegiant Travel Company’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Allegiant Travel Company less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.32.

You can read more about Allegiant Travel Company’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.

Azul SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Azul SA is a Brazil-based company engaged in the provision of passenger transportation services. The Company primarily acts as an airline operator under the Azul brand name, providing scheduled flights between numerous cities in Brazil, including Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Fortaleza and Salvador, among others. In addition, its air network comprises international routes to the Unites States, Europe and other Latin American countries. Through its travel package business, Azul Viagens, in addition to airfare, the Company offers accommodation, transfers, tours and vehicle rental. Its offer includes also Azul Cargo Express, a scheduled cargo transport service with airport-to-airport and door-to-door delivery. The Company owns several subsidiaries, such as Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras SA, which operates all of flight activities and TudoAzul SA, which manages 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.

Azul SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 96, which is considered to be undervalued.

You can read more about Azul SA (ADR)’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.

Harbor Diversified Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Harbor Diversified, Inc. is a non-operating holding company. The Company operates through subsidiaries, including AWAC Aviation, Inc. (AWAC), which is the sole member of Air Wisconsin Airlines LLC (Air Wisconsin), a regional air carrier. The Company is also the direct parent of three other subsidiaries: Lotus Aviation Leasing, LLC (Lotus), which leases flight equipment to Air Wisconsin; Air Wisconsin Funding LLC (AWF), which provides flight equipment financing to Air Wisconsin, and Harbor Therapeutics, Inc. (Therapeutics), which is a non-operating entity with no material assets. Air Wisconsin owns over 64 CRJ-200 regional jets. The CRJ-200 regional jet offers many of the capabilities and amenities of larger commercial jet aircraft, including flight attendant service, a stand-up cabin, limited overhead and under seat storage, a lavatory and a galley that allows for in-flight snack and beverage service. The CRJ-200 regional jets have a speed range of approximately 1,585 miles.

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.

Harbor Diversified Inc has a Value Score of 97, which is considered to be undervalued.

Harbor Diversified Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Harbor Diversified Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.32.

You can read more about Harbor Diversified 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.

Mesa Air Group Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a holding company of Mesa Airlines. Mesa Airlines operates as a regional air carrier providing scheduled passenger service to 86 cities in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Cuba, and Mexico, as well as cargo services out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It operates a fleet of 80 regional aircraft consisting of 54 E-175 aircraft and 26 CRJ-900 aircraft with approximately 296 daily departures, four 737 cargo aircraft. It also leases two aircraft to a third party. It operates 54 E-175 and 26 CRJ-900 aircraft under its United Capacity Purchase Agreements (CPA), and four Boeing 737-400F aircraft under its DHL FSA. It operates all of its flights as either United Express or DHL Express flights. It also operated flights as American Eagle.

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.

Mesa Air Group Inc has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

Mesa Air Group Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Mesa Air Group Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.32.

You can read more about Mesa Air Group 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 5 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.

• Air France KLM SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Allegiant Travel Company stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Azul SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Harbor Diversified Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Mesa Air Group Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 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.

• 5 Undervalued Airlines Stocks for Monday, July 29
• 4 Undervalued Airlines Stocks for Friday, July 26
• Why Hawaiian Holdings, Inc.’s (HA) Stock Is Up 4.54%
• Why SkyWest Inc’s (SKYW) Stock Is Down 9.16%

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.