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.
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.
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 company to watch right now is Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (IMBBY). IMBBY is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 5.08, which compares to its industry's average of 10.53. IMBBY's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.40 and as low as 4.24, with a median of 6.08, all within the past year.
Investors will also notice that IMBBY has a PEG ratio of 0.72. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. IMBBY's industry has an average PEG of 1.76 right now. Within the past year, IMBBY's PEG has been as high as 1.07 and as low as 0.72, with a median of 0.96.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Imperial Tobacco Group PLC is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, IMBBY feels like a great value stock at the moment.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (IMBBY): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.