Investors should take note of LAZARD INC (NYSE:LAZ), a growth stock that remains attractively priced.

Our stock screener has spotted LAZARD INC (NYSE:LAZ) as a growth stock which is not overvalued. LAZ is scoring great on several growth aspects while it also shows decent health and profitability. At the same time it remains remains attractively priced. We'll dive into each aspect below.

Growth Examination for LAZ

ChartMill assigns a proprietary Growth Rating to each stock. The score is computed by evaluating various growth aspects, like EPS and revenue growth. We take into account the history as well as the estimated future numbers. LAZ was assigned a score of 7 for growth:

• The Earnings Per Share has grown by an impressive 216.22% over the past year.
• Looking at the last year, LAZ shows a very strong growth in Revenue. The Revenue has grown by 20.94%.
• Based on estimates for the next years, LAZ will show a very strong growth in Earnings Per Share. The EPS will grow by 33.20% on average per year.
• LAZ is expected to show quite a strong growth in Revenue. In the coming years, the Revenue will grow by 10.71% yearly.
• The EPS growth rate is accelerating: in the next years the growth will be better than in the last years.
• The Revenue growth rate is accelerating: in the next years the growth will be better than in the last years.

Valuation Analysis for LAZ

ChartMill employs its own Valuation Rating system for all stocks. This score, ranging from 0 to 10, is determined by evaluating different valuation factors, including price to earnings and free cash flow, both in absolute terms and relative to the market and industry. LAZ has earned a 7 for valuation:

• The average S&P500 Price/Earnings ratio is at 29.40. LAZ is valued slightly cheaper when compared to this.
• LAZ's Price/Forward Earnings ratio indicates a valuation a bit cheaper than the S&P500 average which is at 22.15.
• Based on the Enterprise Value to EBITDA ratio, LAZ is valued cheaper than 83.93% of the companies in the same industry.
• LAZ's Price/Free Cash Flow ratio is rather cheap when compared to the industry. LAZ is cheaper than 81.25% of the companies in the same industry.
• The low PEG Ratio(NY), which compensates the Price/Earnings for growth, indicates a rather cheap valuation of the company.
• LAZ has a very decent profitability rating, which may justify a higher PE ratio.
• A more expensive valuation may be justified as LAZ's earnings are expected to grow with 33.20% in the coming years.

Exploring LAZ's Health

ChartMill utilizes a Health Rating to assess stocks, scoring them on a scale of 0 to 10. This rating takes into account a variety of liquidity and solvency ratios, both in absolute terms and in comparison to industry peers. LAZ has earned a 5 out of 10:

• LAZ's Altman-Z score of 2.27 is fine compared to the rest of the industry. LAZ outperforms 74.11% of its industry peers.
• LAZ has a debt to FCF ratio of 2.98. This is a good value and a sign of high solvency as LAZ would need 2.98 years to pay back of all of its debts.
• Looking at the Debt to FCF ratio, with a value of 2.98, LAZ is in the better half of the industry, outperforming 77.23% of the companies in the same industry.

Looking at the Profitability

ChartMill assigns a proprietary Profitability Rating to each stock. The score is computed by evaluating various profitability ratios and margins and ranges from 0 to 10. LAZ was assigned a score of 6 for profitability:

• Looking at the Return On Assets, with a value of 5.70%, LAZ is in the better half of the industry, outperforming 70.09% of the companies in the same industry.
• LAZ has a Return On Equity of 42.91%. This is amongst the best in the industry. LAZ outperforms 97.77% of its industry peers.
• With an excellent Return On Invested Capital value of 10.37%, LAZ belongs to the best of the industry, outperforming 85.27% of the companies in the same industry.
• The last Return On Invested Capital (10.37%) for LAZ is above the 3 year average (6.49%), which is a sign of increasing profitability.
• LAZ has a Gross Margin of 93.82%. This is amongst the best in the industry. LAZ outperforms 93.75% of its industry peers.

Every day, new Affordable Growth stocks can be found on ChartMill in our Affordable Growth screener.

Our latest full fundamental report of LAZ contains the most current fundamental analsysis.

Disclaimer

This article should in no way be interpreted as advice. The article is based on the observed metrics at the time of writing, but you should always make your own analysis and trade or invest at your own responsibility.