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Are Investors Undervaluing Quanex Building Products (NX) 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.

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.

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 Quanex Building Products (NX - Free Report) . NX is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.31. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.10. Over the last 12 months, NX's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.04 and as low as 9.97, with a median of 11.90.

We should also highlight that NX has a P/B ratio of 1.65. 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 stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 3.15. Within the past 52 weeks, NX's P/B has been as high as 2.52 and as low as 1.59, with a median of 1.84.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. NX has a P/S ratio of 0.64. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.44.

Finally, our model also underscores that NX has a P/CF ratio of 6.83. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 17.31. Over the past 52 weeks, NX's P/CF has been as high as 10.23 and as low as 6.59, with a median of 7.68.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Quanex Building Products'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 NX is an impressive value stock right now.


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