Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is CAI International (CAI) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 company to watch right now is CAI International . CAI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 7.08 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 16.12. Over the last 12 months, CAI's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.64 and as low as 4.59, with a median of 6.42.

Finally, our model also underscores that CAI has a P/CF ratio of 5.28. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. CAI's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 9.11. Over the past 52 weeks, CAI's P/CF has been as high as 5.92 and as low as 2.23, with a median of 3.82.

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

Published in