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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
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 Portland General Electric (POR). POR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 14.54, while its industry has an average P/E of 16.27. Over the past 52 weeks, POR's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.01 and as low as 12.98, with a median of 14.08.
We also note that POR holds a PEG ratio of 1.15. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. POR's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 2.12. Over the last 12 months, POR's PEG has been as high as 2.83 and as low as 1.13, with a median of 2.26.
Another valuation metric that we should highlight is POR's P/B ratio of 1.36. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.33. Over the past year, POR's P/B has been as high as 1.45 and as low as 1.20, with a median of 1.31.
Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. POR has a P/S ratio of 1.48. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.18.
Finally, investors will want to recognize that POR has a P/CF ratio of 5.86. 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. POR's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 10.46. Within the past 12 months, POR's P/CF has been as high as 6.87 and as low as 5.63, with a median of 6.03.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Portland General Electric is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, POR feels like a great value stock at the moment.
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