While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.
Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader 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 to watch right now is PagSeguro Digital (PAGS). PAGS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 7.24, while its industry has an average P/E of 17.17. Over the past 52 weeks, PAGS's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.81 and as low as 4.84, with a median of 6.45.
Investors should also note that PAGS holds a PEG ratio of 0.64. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. PAGS's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.05. Over the past 52 weeks, PAGS's PEG has been as high as 0.69 and as low as 0.33, with a median of 0.49.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. PAGS has a P/S ratio of 0.9. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.88.
Finally, we should also recognize that PAGS has a P/CF ratio of 4.59. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. PAGS's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 13.15. Within the past 12 months, PAGS's P/CF has been as high as 4.68 and as low as 2.85, with a median of 3.80.
These are only a few of the key metrics included in PagSeguro Digital's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, PAGS looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.
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