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Should Value Investors Buy General Motors (GM) Stock?

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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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

General Motors (GM - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. GM 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 5.75, which compares to its industry's average of 9.83. GM's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.65 and as low as 5.33, with a median of 6.19, all within the past year.

We also note that GM holds a PEG ratio of 0.68. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. GM's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.34. Over the last 12 months, GM's PEG has been as high as 1.28 and as low as 0.65, with a median of 0.75.

Investors should also recognize that GM has a P/B ratio of 1.16. 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. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 2.28. GM's P/B has been as high as 1.78 and as low as 1.05, with a median of 1.44, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. GM has a P/S ratio of 0.33. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.65.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that GM has a P/CF ratio of 3.42. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 6.03. Over the past 52 weeks, GM's P/CF has been as high as 8.51 and as low as 3.12, with a median of 6.51.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that General Motors is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, GM sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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