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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.
Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. 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.
One company value investors might notice is Heidrick & Struggles International (HSII). HSII is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 15.06, which compares to its industry's average of 16.21. Over the last 12 months, HSII's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.88 and as low as 7.83, with a median of 9.88.
Investors will also notice that HSII has a PEG ratio of 0.94. 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. HSII's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.62. Over the last 12 months, HSII's PEG has been as high as 0.99 and as low as 0.57, with a median of 0.74.
Another notable valuation metric for HSII is its P/B ratio of 1.69. 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 2.16. Over the past 12 months, HSII's P/B has been as high as 1.78 and as low as 1.05, with a median of 1.30.
Finally, our model also underscores that HSII has a P/CF ratio of 11.38. 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. HSII's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 12.78. Over the past 52 weeks, HSII's P/CF has been as high as 12 and as low as 6.58, with a median of 8.38.
Investors could also keep in mind Kelly Services (KELYA), an Staffing Firms stock with a Zacks Rank of # 1 (Strong Buy) and Value grade of A.