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 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 value investors might notice is Columbia Sportswear (COLM). COLM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 16.16, which compares to its industry's average of 16.17. Over the past year, COLM's Forward P/E has been as high as 21.93 and as low as 13.73, with a median of 18.25.
Finally, investors will want to recognize that COLM has a P/CF ratio of 10.46. 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 22.86. Over the past year, COLM's P/CF has been as high as 18.79 and as low as 9.66, with a median of 15.21.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Columbia Sportswear is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, COLM sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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Columbia Sportswear Company (COLM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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