The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.
Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.
In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.
One company value investors might notice is Allstate (ALL). ALL is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 9.68 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 28.15. Over the past year, ALL's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.84 and as low as 9.27, with a median of 10.55.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio 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. ALL has a P/S ratio of 0.82. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.31.
The Hanover Insurance Group (THG) may be another strong Insurance - Property and Casualty stock to add to your shortlist. THG is a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.
The Hanover Insurance Group also has a P/B ratio of 1.98 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.57. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 2.21, as low as 1.74, with a median of 1.97.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Allstate and The Hanover Insurance Group are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ALL and THG sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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The Allstate Corporation (ALL): Free Stock Analysis Report The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (THG): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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