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Is ASGN Inc (ASGN) a Great Value Stock 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.

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.

One stock to keep an eye on is ASGN Inc (ASGN - Free Report) . ASGN 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 13.85 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 21.94. Over the past year, ASGN's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.23 and as low as 10.49, with a median of 12.91.

We also note that ASGN holds a PEG ratio of 1.53. 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. ASGN's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 2.07. ASGN's PEG has been as high as 1.57 and as low as 0.94, with a median of 1.39, all within the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. ASGN has a P/S ratio of 0.95. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.14.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ASGN has a P/CF ratio of 13.50. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 32.94. Over the past 52 weeks, ASGN's P/CF has been as high as 14.12 and as low as 10.09, with a median of 12.49.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that ASGN Inc is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, ASGN feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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