The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.
Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.
One company to watch right now is CNO Financial Group (CNO). CNO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.
Investors should also recognize that CNO has a P/B ratio of 1.49. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. CNO's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.76. Over the past year, CNO's P/B has been as high as 1.67 and as low as 1.15, with a median of 1.37.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. CNO has a P/S ratio of 0.85. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.04.
Finally, our model also underscores that CNO has a P/CF ratio of 8.46. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. CNO's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 9.03. Over the past year, CNO's P/CF has been as high as 11.52 and as low as 4.99, with a median of 7.83.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that CNO Financial Group is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, CNO sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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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.
