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Is H&E Equipment Services (HEES) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company value investors might notice is H&E Equipment Services (HEES - Free Report) . HEES is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.94. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.69. Over the last 12 months, HEES's Forward P/E has been as high as 30.43 and as low as 8.27, with a median of 11.42.

HEES is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.60. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. HEES's industry has an average PEG of 1.06 right now. Over the last 12 months, HEES's PEG has been as high as 0.85 and as low as 0.23, with a median of 0.48.

Another notable valuation metric for HEES is its P/B ratio of 3.83. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 5.88. Over the past 12 months, HEES's P/B has been as high as 6.75 and as low as 2.88, with a median of 4.25.

Finally, investors should note that HEES has a P/CF ratio of 3.32. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. HEES's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 10.44. Over the past 52 weeks, HEES's P/CF has been as high as 5.93 and as low as 2.44, with a median of 3.48.

Another great Manufacturing - Construction and Mining stock you could consider is Terex (TEX - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Terex is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 9.04 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 0.55. This compares to its industry's average P/E of 14.69 and average PEG ratio of 1.06.

Over the past year, TEX's P/E has been as high as 16.48, as low as 6.36, with a median of 8.38; its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.57, as low as 0.36, with a median of 0.48 during the same time period.

Additionally, Terex has a P/B ratio of 2.66 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 5.88. For TEX, this valuation metric has been as high as 3.37, as low as 1.73, with a median of 2.28 over the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that H&E Equipment Services and Terex are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, HEES and TEX sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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