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Is Legato Merger (ASTL) a Great Value Stock 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, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. 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 stock to keep an eye on is Legato Merger (ASTL - Free Report) . ASTL 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 6.50, which compares to its industry's average of 8. Over the past year, ASTL's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.93 and as low as 2.07, with a median of 3.96.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is ASTL's P/B ratio of 0.73. 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. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.61. Over the past 12 months, ASTL's P/B has been as high as 1.38 and as low as 0.50, with a median of 0.83.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ASTL has a P/CF ratio of 1.22. 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 4.52. ASTL's P/CF has been as high as 2.62 and as low as 0.81, with a median of 1.37, all within the past year.

Steel Dynamics (STLD - Free Report) may be another strong Steel - Producers stock to add to your shortlist. STLD is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

Furthermore, Steel Dynamics holds a P/B ratio of 2.23 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 1.61. STLD's P/B has been as high as 3.02, as low as 1.59, with a median of 2.23 over the past 12 months.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Legato Merger and Steel Dynamics are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ASTL and STLD sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) - free report >>

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