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.
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.
On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.
One company to watch right now is Macro Bank (BMA). BMA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 6.06, which compares to its industry's average of 9.89. BMA's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.85 and as low as 4.69, with a median of 8.31, all within the past year.
Investors should also recognize that BMA has a P/B ratio of 1.09. 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. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 2.17. Over the past 12 months, BMA's P/B has been as high as 1.70 and as low as 1.01, with a median of 1.30.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio 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. BMA has a P/S ratio of 0.79. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.62.
Finally, investors will want to recognize that BMA has a P/CF ratio of 14.20. 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. BMA's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 16.74. Over the past year, BMA's P/CF has been as high as 20.14 and as low as 1.26, with a median of 8.70.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Macro Bank is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, BMA sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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Macro Bank Inc. (BMA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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