The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price has been a big success story in 2020.
Shares in the Aussie iron ore miner have rocketed 61.2% higher this year. Many would point to a surging iron ore price as the key factor.
However, shares in rival miner BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) have actually fallen this year. So, what's going on with the Fortescue share price and is it too far gone to buy?
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Why Fortescue's value is surging
The Fortescue share price climbed a further 4.3% higher yesterday and hit a new record high of $17.55 per share.
That came after the Aussie miner beat its upgraded export target and said it can maintain that in the year ahead.
Fortescue shipped 47.3 million tonnes in the last quarter and 178.2 million tonnes for the year. That smashed expectations and saw the miner's shares soar higher.
After yesterday's performance, Fortescue is fast becoming one of the hottest ASX shares on the market this year.
Is the Fortescue share price too expensive?
Despite trading at an all-time high, Fortescue's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is surprisingly low.
The Aussie iron ore miner trades at a 7.8 multiple which is nearly half that of BHP (14.6). Granted, Fortescue is more of a pure-play iron ore miner compared to BHP which has significant other interests like petroleum.
But with strong growth forecasts for the year ahead and high iron ore prices, a P/E of 7.8 seems remarkably cheap.
One factor that does weigh on Fortescue is its iron ore quality. Fortescue sells ore with a lower purity compared to its rivals which means it does fetch a lower price.
However, I still think that it could be a good value buy given what the relative valuation metrics are saying right now.
Given the strong success this year, I think many investors would be hoping for a tasty dividend in the company's August results.
That would be great news for investors particularly in the current market where ASX dividend shares are hard to find.
What other shares are there to watch in August?
I think all of the top performers in 2020 are worth watching. That means I'd include A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) and Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) as 'must watch' ASX shares in August.
