Is This Real Estate Stock a Great Value or a Value Trap?
Last year, historically low interest rates sent mortgage market activity soaring, and the blistering housing market led to a year of record mortgage originations. However, with mortgage rates creeping higher, economists are projecting a slowdown in lending activity going into 2022.
As a result of this slowdown in lending, Mr. Cooper Group (NASDAQ: COOP), a residential mortgage lender, is trading at a discounted price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio around 2.8. Given this change in the mortgage market, the lender has spent 2021 making strategic moves, shedding assets to become a "mega servicer" -- a move it thinks will help the business thrive in the long term. With its cheap valuation and strategic shift, is Mr. Cooper Group a buy?
Mr. Cooper Group is an originator and servicer of residential mortgage loans. In 2020 the lender's origination segment saw good volume growth and higher margins as a result of the low interest rate environment. During 2020, revenue for the lender grew at an impressive 36% clip.
Source Fool.com
