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Should Value Investors Buy BP (BP) Stock?

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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.

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.

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.

BP (BP - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. BP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 4.83 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 7.40. BP's Forward P/E has been as high as 7.57 and as low as 3.94, with a median of 5.31, all within the past year.

We should also highlight that BP has a P/B ratio of 1.41. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. BP's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.60. BP's P/B has been as high as 1.47 and as low as 0.96, with a median of 1.18, over the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. BP has a P/S ratio of 0.45. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.49.

Another great Oil and Gas - Integrated - International stock you could consider is Eni (E - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Shares of Eni currently holds a Forward P/E ratio of 4.52, and its PEG ratio is 0.44. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 7.40 and 0.53.

E's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.54 and as low as 3.12, with a median of 4.84. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.27, as low as 0.30, with a median of 0.47.

Eni sports a P/B ratio of 0.89 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.60. In the past 52 weeks, E's P/B has been as high as 1.12, as low as 0.65, with a median of 0.98.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in BP and Eni'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 BP and E is an impressive value stock right now.


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