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Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of 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.
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 value investors might notice is First BanCorp. (FBP). FBP is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 10.46, while its industry has an average P/E of 11.88. Over the past 52 weeks, FBP's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.46 and as low as 9.42, with a median of 10.43.
Investors should also note that FBP holds a PEG ratio of 1.66. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. FBP's industry has an average PEG of 2.32 right now. Within the past year, FBP's PEG has been as high as 5.01 and as low as 1.28, with a median of 1.46.
Another valuation metric that we should highlight is FBP's P/B ratio of 1.80. 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 1.88. Within the past 52 weeks, FBP's P/B has been as high as 2.44 and as low as 1.76, with a median of 2.
Finally, investors should note that FBP has a P/CF ratio of 9.13. 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. FBP's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 17.89. Over the past year, FBP's P/CF has been as high as 10.85 and as low as 7.85, with a median of 8.98.
These are only a few of the key metrics included in First BanCorp.'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, FBP looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.