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.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
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 Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). SWK is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 14.37, while its industry has an average P/E of 15.06. Over the past year, SWK's Forward P/E has been as high as 20.90 and as low as 10.21, with a median of 14.96.
We should also highlight that SWK has a P/B ratio of 1.31. 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. SWK's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.65. Over the past 12 months, SWK's P/B has been as high as 1.94 and as low as 0.98, with a median of 1.40.
Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. SWK has a P/S ratio of 0.88. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.23.
Finally, investors should note that SWK has a P/CF ratio of 11.37. 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 14.45. SWK's P/CF has been as high as 49.69 and as low as 9.06, with a median of 13.87, all within the past year.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Stanley Black & Decker is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, SWK sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).