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.
Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader 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 company value investors might notice is KeyCorp (KEY). KEY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.
KEY is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.58. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. KEY's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.80. KEY's PEG has been as high as 0.88 and as low as 0.46, with a median of 0.61, all within the past year.
Another valuation metric that we should highlight is KEY's P/B ratio of 1.23. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. KEY's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.57. Within the past 52 weeks, KEY's P/B has been as high as 1.33 and as low as 0.88, with a median of 1.12.
Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that KeyCorp is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, KEY sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).