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Should Value Investors Buy Ryerson (RYI) Stock?

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Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

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 Ryerson (RYI - Free Report) . RYI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Investors should also recognize that RYI has a P/B ratio of 1.49. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.69. Within the past 52 weeks, RYI's P/B has been as high as 2.36 and as low as 0.90, with a median of 1.35.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. RYI has a P/S ratio of 0.21. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.34.

Finally, we should also recognize that RYI has a P/CF ratio of 3.08. 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 5.52. Over the past year, RYI's P/CF has been as high as 3.45 and as low as 1.32, with a median of 2.12.

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.

Furthermore, Olympic Steel holds a P/B ratio of 1.13 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 1.69. ZEUS's P/B has been as high as 1.27, as low as 0.50, with a median of 0.73 over the past 12 months.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Ryerson 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 RYI and ZEUS is an impressive value stock right now.


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