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Are These Transportation Stocks a Great Value Stocks Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One stock to keep an eye on is Costamare (CMRE - Free Report) . CMRE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.39. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 4.09. Over the past year, CMRE's Forward P/E has been as high as 6.89 and as low as 2.84, with a median of 5.10.

Investors should also recognize that CMRE has a P/B ratio of 1.10. 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 1.15. Over the past year, CMRE's P/B has been as high as 1.37 and as low as 0.81, with a median of 0.96.

Finally, our model also underscores that CMRE has a P/CF ratio of 3.96. 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. CMRE's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 6.92. Within the past 12 months, CMRE's P/CF has been as high as 9.86 and as low as 3.18, with a median of 4.47.

If you're looking for another solid Transportation - Shipping value stock, take a look at ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM - Free Report) . ZIM is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Additionally, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has a P/B ratio of 2.66 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 1.15. For ZIM, this valuation metric has been as high as 11.79, as low as -21.22, with a median of 2.07 over the past year.

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


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