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Are Investors Undervaluing United States Steel (X) 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 use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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.

United States Steel (X - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. X is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A.

Investors should also recognize that X has a P/B ratio of 0.57. 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. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.66. Over the past 12 months, X's P/B has been as high as 1.10 and as low as 0.39, with a median of 0.57.

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. X has a P/S ratio of 0.28. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.31.

Finally, investors should note that X has a P/CF ratio of 2.07. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 4.80. Within the past 12 months, X's P/CF has been as high as 2.49 and as low as 0.85, with a median of 1.38.

Another great Steel - Producers stock you could consider is Olympic Steel (ZEUS - Free Report) , which is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Olympic Steel also has a P/B ratio of 1.10 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.66. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 1.27, as low as 0.50, with a median of 0.73.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in United States Steel and Olympic Steel'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 X and ZEUS is an impressive value stock right now.


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