5 Undervalued Dow Components To Research – February 2017

There are a number of great companies in the market today. By using the ModernGraham Valuation Model, I’ve selected the five most undervalued Dow Components reviewed by ModernGraham which are suitable for the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor according to the ModernGraham approach. Defensive Investors are defined as investors who are not able or willing to do substantial research into individual investments, and therefore need to select only the companies that present the least amount of risk. Enterprising Investors, on the other hand, are able to do substantial research and can select companies that present a moderate (though still low) amount of risk. Each company suitable for the Defensive Investor is also suitable for Enterprising Investors.

Travelers Companies Inc 

Travelers Companies Inc (TRV) qualifies for both the Defensive Investor and the Enterprising Investor. In fact, the company meets all of the requirements of both investor types, a rare accomplishment indicative of the company’s strong financial position . The Enterprising Investor has no initial concerns. As a result, all value investors following the ModernGraham approach should feel comfortable proceeding with the analysis.

As for a valuation, the company appears to be Undervalued after growing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $5.48 in 2012 to an estimated $9.87 for 2016. This level of demonstrated earnings growth outpaces the market’s implied estimate of 1.49% annual earnings growth over the next 7-10 years. As a result, the ModernGraham valuation model, based on Benjamin Graham’s formula, returns an estimate of intrinsic value above the price.

At the time of valuation, further research into Travelers Companies Inc revealed the company was trading below its Graham Number of $134.38. The company pays a dividend of $1.95 per share, for a yield of 1.7% Its PEmg (price over earnings per share – ModernGraham) was 11.48, which was below the industry average of 16.56, which by some methods of valuation makes it one of the most undervalued stocks in its industry.  (See the full valuation)