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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.
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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.
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 stock to keep an eye on is BRF (BRFS). BRFS is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 10.06, which compares to its industry's average of 16.09. Over the last 12 months, BRFS's Forward P/E has been as high as 44.58 and as low as -13.90, with a median of 14.53.
We should also highlight that BRFS has a P/B ratio of 1.45. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 2.18. BRFS's P/B has been as high as 1.60 and as low as 0.70, with a median of 1.15, over the past year.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is 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. BRFS has a P/S ratio of 0.46. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.92.
Finally, investors will want to recognize that BRFS has a P/CF ratio of 7.09. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 17.22. BRFS's P/CF has been as high as 14.72 and as low as -32.62, with a median of 7.66, all within the past year.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that BRF is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, BRFS sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.