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.
Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.
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 Vodafone Group (VOD). VOD is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 9.84 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 11.00. Over the last 12 months, VOD's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.50 and as low as 8.12, with a median of 9.80.
Investors will also notice that VOD has a PEG ratio of 0.49. 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. VOD's industry currently sports an average PEG of 0.52. Over the last 12 months, VOD's PEG has been as high as 6.19 and as low as 0.43, with a median of 0.76.
Another valuation metric that we should highlight is VOD's P/B ratio of 0.46. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.16. Over the past year, VOD's P/B has been as high as 0.48 and as low as 0.31, with a median of 0.38.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Vodafone Group is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, VOD feels like a great value stock at the moment.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Vodafone Group PLC (VOD): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research