While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.
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.
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 stock to keep an eye on is Douglas Emmett (DEI). DEI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 11.11, which compares to its industry's average of 16.25. DEI's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.48 and as low as 9.01, with a median of 11.23, all within the past year.
We should also highlight that DEI has a P/B ratio of 0.75. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.89. DEI's P/B has been as high as 0.93 and as low as 0.60, with a median of 0.76, over the past year.
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. DEI has a P/S ratio of 1.98. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.77.
Finally, investors should note that DEI has a P/CF ratio of 6.24. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. DEI's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 14.81. DEI's P/CF has been as high as 8.61 and as low as 4.95, with a median of 6.56, all within the past year.
If you're looking for another solid REIT and Equity Trust - Other value stock, take a look at Industrial Logistics Properties Trust (ILPT). ILPT is a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) stock with a Value score of A.
Industrial Logistics Properties Trust also has a P/B ratio of 0.43 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.89. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 0.45, as low as 0.17, with a median of 0.25.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Douglas Emmett and Industrial Logistics Properties Trust are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, DEI and ILPT sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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Douglas Emmett, Inc. (DEI): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).