5 Undervalued Pharmaceuticals Stocks for Thursday, January 19

By AAII Staff
January 19, 2023
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
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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 Pharmaceuticals 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.

Latest Pharmaceuticals Stock News

Before choosing which top Pharmaceuticals stock to buy, be sure to conduct proper due diligence: analyze various financial metrics and look at historical data, public statements and news coverage.

The outlook for the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry is positive as the world returns to normalcy and demand for electives and improved medical utilization. COVID-19 therapies, oncology and immunology are essential aspects of pharmaceutical companies. Should COVID-19 variants continue to arise getting a COVID-19 vaccine could become a seasonal phenomenon, much like the flu vaccine. If that were to happen, it would prove to be very lucrative for pharmaceutical companies, as it would generate recurring sales. Recent FDA recommendations, such as approval for a fourth booster dose for those aged 50 or older, suggests we may be moving in this direction. Generic drug makers are expected to continue to struggle due to lower-cost emerging market competition. Despite this, policy risks are on the rise. Lowering drug prices continues to be a bipartisan issue as both parties aim to offer Americans more affordable prices. While this provides uncertainty in the long-term, it is unlikely that legislation will get passed in the near future due to more pressing issues in the political agenda. Year to date through June 3, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Index was up 1.5% vs. a 13.6% decline for the S&P Composite 1500 Index. In 2021, the S&P Pharmaceuticals Index returned a gain of 21.8%, vs. a gain of 26.7% for the S&P Composite 1500.

Why Focus on Undervalued Pharmaceuticals 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 Pharmaceuticals 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 Pharmaceuticals industry for Thursday, January 19, 2023. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Pharmaceuticals industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Bayer AG (ADR) BAYRY 1.11 11.7 5.3 3.5% 1.34 12.9 B
Bon Natural Life Ltd BON 0.45 2.5 5.7 (4.4%) 0.42 6.0 A
Hexo Corp HEXO 0.32 na na (138.7%) 0.21 na B
PetIQ Inc PETQ 0.35 na 8.6 (1.0%) 1.51 na B
Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc UPC 0.42 3.9 2.5 (3.6%) 0.33 na A

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.

Bayer AG (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score BAYRY Industry Median
Price/Sales 35 1.11 3.18
Price/Earnings 37 11.7 19.8
EV/EBITDA 25 5.3 8.8
Shareholder Yield 22 3.5% (2.9%)
Price/Book Value 43 1.34 1.73
Price/Free Cash Flow 40 12.9 20.3

Bayer AG is a German-based life science company. The Company's segments are Pharmaceuticala and Consumer Health. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on researching, developing and marketing prescription products and specialty therapeutics especially in the areas of cardiology, oncology, gynecology, hematology and ophthalmology, as well as radiopharmacology and others. The Company is focusing on their oncology platform for Targeted Alpha Therapies for treating prostate cancer. The Consumer Health segment develops, produces and markets nonprescription over-the-counter products in the dermatology, dietary supplement, analgesic, gastrointestinal, cold, allergy, sinus and flu, foot care and sun protection categories, among others. The Crop Science segment has been moved to Cinven which operates as an independent company called Envu.

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.

Bayer AG (ADR) has a Value Score of 78, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Bayer AG (ADR)’s price-to-sales ratio at 1.11 compared to the industry median at 3.18, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Bayer AG (ADR)’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Bayer AG (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 11.73 compared to the industry median at 19.81. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Bayer AG (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Bayer AG (ADR)’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 5.3, when compared to the industry median of 8.8, 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. Bayer AG (ADR)’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of (2.93%). 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. Bayer AG (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.73. This could make Bayer AG (ADR) more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Bayer AG (ADR)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Bayer AG (ADR)’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 20.31. This could make Bayer AG (ADR) more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Bayer AG (ADR) 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.

Bon Natural Life Ltd’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score BON Industry Median
Price/Sales 16 0.45 3.18
Price/Earnings 3 2.5 19.8
EV/EBITDA 28 5.7 8.8
Shareholder Yield 71 (4.4%) (2.9%)
Price/Book Value 7 0.42 1.73
Price/Free Cash Flow 17 6.0 20.3

Bon Natural Life Ltd is a China-based company principally engaged in the manufacturing and sales of personal care ingredients, such as plant extracted fragrance compounds to perfume and fragrance manufacturers, natural health supplements, such as powder drinks and bioactive food ingredient products mostly used as food additives and nutritional supplements. The Company's product categories include fragrance compounds, health supplements (natural, functional active ingredients for powder drinks) and bioactive food ingredients. Fragrance compounds product category includes clary sage extract products. Bioactive food ingredients include stachyose, milk thistle extracts, apple extracts, phloretin and pomegranate extract products. The Company’s products are applied in the functional food, personal care, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

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.

Bon Natural Life Ltd has a Value Score of 92, which is considered to be undervalued.

Bon Natural Life Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 2.5 compared to the industry median at 19.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Bon Natural Life Ltd more attractive for value investors.

Bon Natural Life Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Bon Natural Life Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.73.

You can read more about Bon Natural Life 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.

Hexo Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score HEXO Industry Median
Price/Sales 11 0.32 3.18
Price/Earnings na na 19.8
EV/EBITDA na na 8.8
Shareholder Yield 97 (138.7%) (2.9%)
Price/Book Value 2 0.21 1.73
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.3

Hexo Corp. is a Canada-based consumer packaged goods cannabis company. The Company is engaged in cultivating, processing, packaging, and distributing cannabis products to serve the cannabis market. The Company serves the Canadian recreational market with a brand portfolio, including HEXO, Redecan, UP Cannabis, Original Stash, 48North, Trail Mix, Bake Sale and Latitude brands, and the medical market under HEXO medical cannabis in Canada and Israel. Its HEXO brand offers a range of flower strains, discreet capsules, and convenient vapes, including the HEXO FLVR lineup of flavor-first vapes, and HEXO Plus high potency flower, exclusive to Quebec. Its brand Namaste is a recreational cannabis brand for mindful consumers.

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.

Hexo Corp has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

Hexo Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Hexo Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.73.

You can read more about Hexo Corp’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.

PetIQ Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PETQ Industry Median
Price/Sales 12 0.35 3.18
Price/Earnings na na 19.8
EV/EBITDA 47 8.6 8.8
Shareholder Yield 57 (1.0%) (2.9%)
Price/Book Value 50 1.51 1.73
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.3

PetIQ, Inc. is a pet medication and wellness company, which delivers veterinary products and services. The Company is engaged with customers through approximately 60,000 points of distribution across retail and e-commerce channels with its branded and distributed medications, as well as health and wellness items, which are further supported by its medications manufacturing facility in Omaha, Nebraska and health and wellness manufacturing facility in Springville, Utah. Its national veterinarian service platform operates in approximately 2,900 retail partner locations in 42 states provides veterinary wellness services. The Company has two segments: Products and Services. The Products segment consists of its manufacturing and distribution businesses. The Services segment consists of veterinary services and related product sales provided by the Company directly to consumers. Its products offering for dogs and cats includes pet Rx medications, OTC medications and wellness products.

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.

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

PetIQ Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make PetIQ Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.73.

You can read more about PetIQ 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.

Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score UPC Industry Median
Price/Sales 15 0.42 3.18
Price/Earnings 7 3.9 19.8
EV/EBITDA 9 2.5 8.8
Shareholder Yield 69 (3.6%) (2.9%)
Price/Book Value 4 0.33 1.73
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 20.3

Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc is a China-based holding company mainly engaged in the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of traditional Chinese medicine derivatives (TCMD) products targeting the elderly. Through its subsidiary, the Company sells TCMD products, biomedical drugs, medical instruments, Traditional Chinese Medicine Pieces (TCMPs), and dietary supplements manufactured by third-party pharmaceutical companies. Its TCMD products fall into two categories: chronic condition treatments as well as cold and flu medications, including Guben Yanling Pill, Shenrong Weisheng Pill, Fengshitong Medicinal Liquor, Isatis Root Granule and Qiangli Pipa Syrup. Its major customers are pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, clinics and drugstore chains. The Company mainly conducts its businesses within the Chinese market.

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.

Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 3.9 compared to the industry median at 19.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc more attractive for value investors.

Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.73.

You can read more about Universe Pharmaceuticals 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.

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Other Pharmaceuticals 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 Pharmaceuticals stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 5 Best Pharmaceuticals 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.

  • Bayer AG (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Bon Natural Life Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Hexo Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • PetIQ Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Universe Pharmaceuticals Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 undervalued stocks in the Pharmaceuticals 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.

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Additional Resources About Pharmaceuticals Stocks

Want to learn more about Pharmaceuticals 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.

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.



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