Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.
One company value investors might notice is Escalade (ESCA). ESCA is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.26. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 24.50. Over the past year, ESCA's Forward P/E has been as high as 25.23 and as low as 9.66, with a median of 12.76.
Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. ESCA has a P/S ratio of 0.8. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.02.
Finally, investors should note that ESCA has a P/CF ratio of 10. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. ESCA's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 20.13. ESCA's P/CF has been as high as 20.24 and as low as 9.34, with a median of 10.75, all within the past year.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Escalade is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ESCA sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
