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The Best-Performing Small-Cap Stars to Be Overlooked by the Services Sector in 2013

The acceleration of bull-market conditions in 2013 has sent benchmark stock indexes to new heights on numerous occasions throughout the year, and has done so despite no small amount of uncertainty
Michael Teague is a staff writer for Equities.com. His previous experience includes three years as the associate editor of Los Angeles-based Al Jadid Magazine, a bi-annual review of the arts & culture of the Middle East, where he contributed many articles on the region in the form of features and book & film reviews. His educational background includes a BA in French literature from the University of California, Irvine, where he developed a startling proclivity for anything having to do with the 19th century.
Michael Teague is a staff writer for Equities.com. His previous experience includes three years as the associate editor of Los Angeles-based Al Jadid Magazine, a bi-annual review of the arts & culture of the Middle East, where he contributed many articles on the region in the form of features and book & film reviews. His educational background includes a BA in French literature from the University of California, Irvine, where he developed a startling proclivity for anything having to do with the 19th century.

The acceleration of bull-market conditions in 2013 has sent benchmark stock indexes to new heights on numerous occasions throughout the year, and has done so despite no small amount of uncertainty with regard to the outlook for domestic and global economic conditions.

Even from the outset, however, analysts and commentators have been concerned about the relatively thin trading volume on which share prices have scored such dramatic advances. Fears of a correction have furthermore been exacerbated by the back-and-forth over the Fed’s plans concerning its $85 billion monthly in bond and asset purchases.

Investors, and especially stock-pickers, have likely found their work cut out for them when attempting to extrapolate more realistic valuations out of the given fundamental data. Thankfully, at least for those who fancy small-caps or who have turned to the small-cap space in their search for more reliable returns, Equities.com has been building out its Small-Cap Stars series.

In order to assist investors in their quest to tap the high-growth opportunities that are often to be found among smaller companies, Equities.com’s own analysts devised a sector-specific stock screener based on the most important fundamental data.

A full run-down of the methodology can be found here, but the value of this important investment tool can be assessed by taking a look at the numbers. The average price-to-earnings ratio of the services sector, for instance, is currently at 28. According to the Small-Cap Stars screener, the following four companies, all 5-star candidates, have returned at a rate of over 75 percent on a year-to-date basis while maintaining P/E ratios that are well below both sector and industry averages, an indication that they have been overlooked and/or undervalued by the market.

 

PC Connection (PCCC)
Industry: Catalog & Mail Order Houses

Market-Cap: $532.80 million

Price: $20.52

P/E Ratio: 15.54

Industry Average P/E Ratio: 66

Year-to-Date Return: +77 percent

 

Air Transport Services Group (ATSG)

Industry: Air Delivery & Freight Services

Market-Cap: $459.89 million

Price: $7.11

P/E Ratio: 13.05

Industry Average P/E Ratio: 38

Year-to-Date Return: +79 percent

 

Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (RJET)

Industry: Regional Airlines

Market-Cap: $539.72 million

Price: $10.32

P/E Ratio: 8.92

Industry Average P/E Ratio: 43.30

Year-to-Date Return: +93.10 percent

 

TravelCenters of America LLC (TA)

Industry: Specialty Retail

Market-Cap: $277.44 million

Price: $10.16

P/E Ratio: 14.30

Industry Average P/E Ratio: 21.80

Year-to-Date Return: +113 percent

Crush spreads, which have been trending, are barometers of soybean supply and demand and a real-time indicator of processor profitability.