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Should Value Investors Buy Rent-A-Center (RCII) Stock?

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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 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 Rent-A-Center . RCII is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.

Investors should also recognize that RCII has a P/B ratio of 5.51. 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. RCII's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 8.41. Over the past year, RCII's P/B has been as high as 5.88 and as low as 1.96, with a median of 3.42.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. RCII has a P/S ratio of 1.39. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.4.

Finally, investors should note that RCII has a P/CF ratio of 3.74. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 8.36. Within the past 12 months, RCII's P/CF has been as high as 4 and as low as 1.08, with a median of 2.10.

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

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