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Are Investors Undervaluing These Basic Materials Stocks 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.

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 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.

Outokumpu (OUTKY - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. OUTKY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 3.45, which compares to its industry's average of 5.66. OUTKY's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.22 and as low as 3.28, with a median of 6.66, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for OUTKY is its P/B ratio of 0.64. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.79. Over the past year, OUTKY's P/B has been as high as 0.98 and as low as 0.62, with a median of 0.82.

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. OUTKY has a P/S ratio of 0.26. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.45.

Finally, our model also underscores that OUTKY has a P/CF ratio of 2.31. 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. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 3.62. Within the past 12 months, OUTKY's P/CF has been as high as 16.05 and as low as 2.23, with a median of 6.50.

Another great Steel - Producers stock you could consider is Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (USNZY - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 5.08 while its PEG ratio sits at 0.31. Both of the company's metrics compare favorably to its industry's average P/E of 5.66 and average PEG ratio of 0.34.

USNZY's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.63 and as low as 2.20, with a median of 5.82. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.48, as low as 0.08, with a median of 0.23.

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais also has a P/B ratio of 0.37 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.79. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 0.71, as low as 0.27, with a median of 0.39.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Outokumpu and Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, OUTKY and USNZY look like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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