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Is AutoNation (AN) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is AutoNation (AN - Free Report) . AN is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 10.60, which compares to its industry's average of 10.65. Over the past year, AN's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.25 and as low as 8.68, with a median of 10.71.

AN is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.87. 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. AN's industry has an average PEG of 1.01 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, AN's PEG has been as high as 4.19 and as low as 0.86, with a median of 1.17.

We should also highlight that AN has a P/B ratio of 2.48. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 2.64. Within the past 52 weeks, AN's P/B has been as high as 2.69 and as low as 1.03, with a median of 1.63.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. AN has a P/S ratio of 0.37. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.49.

Finally, we should also recognize that AN has a P/CF ratio of 7.83. 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 9.84. Within the past 12 months, AN's P/CF has been as high as 9.20 and as low as 3.99, with a median of 6.27.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in AutoNation's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that AN is an impressive value stock right now.


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