It's always to an investor's advantage to find a terrific company that they would like to invest in on sale. When you can buy a great business for less than it's worth, you simultaneously increase your long-term return potential while lowering your risk. In other words, you are buying the company's growth at a better value. When you can find the additional benefit of an above-average dividend yield, that's even better.

We believe Eaton Corp (ETN) currently represents such an opportunity. The company can be purchased at a discount to its earnings justified fair value, and offers a dividend yield of over 3.3% (light blue highlighting). We recommend doing your own due diligence, but Eaton Corp looks like a classic buy low today to sell later at a higher value with a nice yield to sweeten the pot.

About Eaton Corp: Directly from their website

"Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with more than 100 years of experience providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. With 2011 sales of $16.0 billion, Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components, systems and services for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 73,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries."

Earnings Determine Market Price: The following earnings and price correlated F.A.S.T. Graphs™ clearly illustrates the importance of earnings. The Earnings Growth Rate Line or True Worth™ Line (orange line with white triangles) is correlated with the historical stock price line . On graph after graph the lines will move in tandem. If the stock price strays away from the earnings line (over or under), inevitably it will come back to earnings.

Earnings & Price Correlated Fundamentals-at-a-Glance

A quick glance at the historical earnings and price correlated FAST Graphs™ on Eaton Corp shows a picture of undervaluation based upon the historical earnings growth rate of 14.6% and a current PE of 11. Analysts are forecasting the earnings growth to continue at about 12%, and when you look at the forecasting graph below, the stock appears undervalued, (it's outside of the value corridor of the five orange lines - based on future growth).

Eaton Corp: Historical Earnings, Price, Dividends and Normal PE Since 2003

Performance Table Eaton Corp

The associated performance results with the earnings and price correlated graph, validates the principles regarding the two components of total return; capital appreciation and dividend income. Dividends are included in the total return calculation and are assumed paid, but not reinvested.

When presented separately like this, the additional rate of return a dividend paying stock produces for shareholders becomes undeniably evident. In addition to the 9.3% capital appreciation (green circle), long-term shareholders of Eaton Corp, assuming an initial investment of $1,000, would have received an additional $390.66 in dividends (blue highlighting) that increased their total return from 9.3% to 11.1% per annum versus 5.2% in the S&P 500.

The following graph plots the historically normal PE ratio (the dark blue line) correlated with 10-year Treasury note interest. Notice that the current price earnings ratio on this quality company is as normal as it has been since 2003.

A further indication of valuation can be seen by examining a company's current price to sales ratio relative to its historical price to sales ratio. The current price to sales ratio for Eaton Corp is .97 which is historically normal.

Looking to the Future

Extensive research has provided a preponderance of conclusive evidence that future long-term returns are a function of two critical determinants:

1. The rate of change (growth rate) of the company's earnings

2. The price or valuation you pay to buy those earnings

Forecasting future earnings growth, bought at sound valuations, is the key to safe, sound, and profitable performance.

The Estimated Earnings and Return Calculator Tool is a simple yet powerful resource that empowers the user to calculate and run various investing scenarios that generate precise rate of return potentialities. Thinking the investment through to its logical conclusion is an important component towards making sound and prudent commonsense investing decisions.

The consensus of 20 leading analysts reporting to Capital IQ forecast Eaton Corp's long-term earnings growth at 12% (orange circle). Eaton Corp has medium long-term debt at 31% of capital (red circle). Eaton Corp is currently trading at a P/E of 11, which is below the value corridor (defined by the five orange lines) of a maximum P/E of 18 (orange arrow). If the earnings materialize as forecast, Eaton Corp's True Worth™ valuation would be $112.67 at the end of 2017 (brown circle on EYE Chart), which would be a 20.3% annual rate of return from the current price (yellow highlighting).

Earnings Yield Estimates

Discounted Future Cash Flows: All companies derive their value from the future cash flows (earnings) they are capable of generating for their stakeholders over time. Therefore, because Earnings Determine Market Price in the long run, we expect the future earnings of a company to justify the price we pay.

Since all investments potentially compete with all other investments, it is useful to compare investing in any prospective company to that of a comparable investment in low risk Treasury bonds. Comparing an investment in Eaton Corp to an equal investment in 10 year Treasury bonds, illustrates that Eaton Corp's expected earnings would be 8.7 (purple circle) times that of the 10 year T-Bond Interest. (See EYE chart below). This is the essence of the importance of proper valuation as a critical investing component.

Summary & Conclusions

This report presented essential "fundamentals at a glance" illustrating the past and present valuation based on earnings achievements as reported. Future forecasts for earnings growth are based on the consensus of leading analysts. Although, with just a quick glance you can know a lot about the company, it's imperative that the reader conducts their own due diligence in order to validate whether the consensus estimates seem reasonable or not.

Disclosure: No positions at the time of writing.