Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Reliance Steel (RS) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

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.

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 to watch right now is Reliance Steel (RS - Free Report) . RS is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 10.07, which compares to its industry's average of 10.74. Over the past 52 weeks, RS's Forward P/E has been as high as 16.92 and as low as 9.89, with a median of 14.99.

We should also highlight that RS has a P/B ratio of 1.69. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.20. RS's P/B has been as high as 2.11 and as low as 1.29, with a median of 1.68, over the past year.

Finally, investors should note that RS has a P/CF ratio of 9.25. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 15.26. Over the past year, RS's P/CF has been as high as 16.84 and as low as 8.91, with a median of 12.37.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Reliance, Inc. (RS) - free report >>

Published in