Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is HP (HPQ) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

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.

One stock to keep an eye on is HP (HPQ - Free Report) . HPQ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 8.67, which compares to its industry's average of 23.42. Over the last 12 months, HPQ's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.12 and as low as 5.09, with a median of 8.30.

HPQ is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.60. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. HPQ's industry currently sports an average PEG of 2.64. Over the last 12 months, HPQ's PEG has been as high as 5.84 and as low as 1.60, with a median of 4.14.

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. HPQ has a P/S ratio of 0.53. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.31.

Finally, investors should note that HPQ has a P/CF ratio of 8.31. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 19.18. HPQ's P/CF has been as high as 8.97 and as low as 5.04, with a median of 7.65, all within the past year.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


HP Inc. (HPQ) - free report >>

Published in