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Should Value Investors Buy AZZ (AZZ) 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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

AZZ (AZZ - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. AZZ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 15.06 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 23.76. AZZ's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.72 and as low as 10.40, with a median of 14.95, all within the past year.

Investors should also note that AZZ holds a PEG ratio of 1.08. 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. AZZ's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.99. Over the past 52 weeks, AZZ's PEG has been as high as 1.27 and as low as 0.89, with a median of 1.09.

We should also highlight that AZZ has a P/B ratio of 3.43. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 4.30. Over the past 12 months, AZZ's P/B has been as high as 3.69 and as low as 1.23, with a median of 2.70.

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. AZZ has a P/S ratio of 1.53. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.17.

Finally, investors should note that AZZ has a P/CF ratio of 10.56. 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. AZZ's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 34.03. Over the past 52 weeks, AZZ's P/CF has been as high as 12.27 and as low as 8.14, with a median of 10.23.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in AZZ'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 AZZ is an impressive value stock right now.


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