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Is CECO Environmental (CECO) Stock Undervalued 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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 to watch right now is CECO Environmental (CECO - Free Report) . CECO 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 12.71, which compares to its industry's average of 22.15. Over the past 52 weeks, CECO's Forward P/E has been as high as 22.71 and as low as 8.33, with a median of 11.01.

Investors will also notice that CECO has a PEG ratio of 0.85. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. CECO's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.58. Over the past 52 weeks, CECO's PEG has been as high as 1.51 and as low as 0.56, with a median of 0.73.

Investors should also recognize that CECO has a P/B ratio of 1.91. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against 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 4.88. Over the past 12 months, CECO's P/B has been as high as 2.03 and as low as 0.70, with a median of 1.08.

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. CECO has a P/S ratio of 0.96. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.15.

If you're looking for another solid Pollution Control value stock, take a look at HeritageCrystal Clean . HCCI is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Shares of HeritageCrystal Clean currently holds a Forward P/E ratio of 9.09, and its PEG ratio is 0.61. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 22.15 and 1.58.

HCCI's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.76 and as low as 8.27, with a median of 13.34. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.25, as low as 0.55, with a median of 0.89.

HeritageCrystal Clean also has a P/B ratio of 1.78 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 4.88. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 2.59, as low as 1.57, with a median of 1.97.

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


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