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Are Investors Undervaluing HP (HPQ) 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.

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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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.

One company to watch right now is HP (HPQ - Free Report) . HPQ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 10.22, while its industry has an average P/E of 30.34. Over the past year, HPQ's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.73 and as low as 7.46, with a median of 8.52.

Investors will also notice that HPQ has a PEG ratio of 2.24. 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. HPQ's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 2.53. Within the past year, HPQ's PEG has been as high as 2.75 and as low as 1.67, with a median of 2.24.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. HPQ has a P/S ratio of 0.7. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.88.

Finally, our model also underscores that HPQ has a P/CF ratio of 9.65. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 29.47. Over the past 52 weeks, HPQ's P/CF has been as high as 10.83 and as low as 6.43, with a median of 7.41.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that HP is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, HPQ sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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