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Are These Medical Stocks Undervalued Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore 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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

AmerisourceBergen is a stock many investors are watching right now. ABC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 11.11 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 18.68. Over the past year, ABC's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.43 and as low as 11, with a median of 11.85.

ABC is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.99. 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. ABC's industry has an average PEG of 1.77 right now. ABC's PEG has been as high as 1.68 and as low as 0.97, with a median of 1.06, all within the past year.

McKesson (MCK - Free Report) may be another strong Medical - Dental Supplies stock to add to your shortlist. MCK is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

McKesson is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 10.05 while its PEG ratio sits at 1.12. Both of the company's metrics compare favorably to its industry's average P/E of 18.68 and average PEG ratio of 1.77.

Over the last 12 months, MCK's P/E has been as high as 11.27, as low as 9.17, with a median of 10.04, and its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.73, as low as 1.12, with a median of 1.41.

McKesson sports a P/B ratio of -388.92 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 5.93. In the past 52 weeks, MCK's P/B has been as high as 184.34, as low as -717.21, with a median of -105.45.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in AmerisourceBergen and McKesson strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, ABC and MCK look like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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