Should Value Investors Buy Huron Consulting Group (HURN) Stock?

Zacks
05 Mar

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, 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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is Huron Consulting Group (HURN). HURN is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 20.35 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 26.06. Over the last 12 months, HURN's Forward P/E has been as high as 21.35 and as low as 13.80, with a median of 16.38.

Investors should also recognize that HURN has a P/B ratio of 4.69. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 6.37. Over the past year, HURN's P/B has been as high as 4.82 and as low as 3.10, with a median of 3.74.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. HURN has a P/S ratio of 1.71. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.81.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that HURN has a P/CF ratio of 19.22. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 19.28. Over the past year, HURN's P/CF has been as high as 21.85 and as low as 15.68, with a median of 18.89.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Huron Consulting Group's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, HURN looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

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