Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK Quick QuoteALK - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Alaska Air Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 13.27, as you can see in the chart below:

This level is significantly favorable with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 compares in at about 20.19. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Alaska Air Group’s current PE ratio above its midpoint over the past five years, with the number gradually rising over the past few months.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Transportation sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 15.10. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Alaska Air Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 12.04, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Alaska Air Group stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Alaska Air Group has a P/S ratio of about 2.04. This is somewhat lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.18 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

If anything, Alaska Air Group is towards the higher end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, which suggests that the company’s stock price has already appreciated to some degree, relative to its sales.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Alaska Air Group currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘A’, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Alaska Air Group a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Alaska Air Group is just 1.01, a level that is slightly lower than the industry average of 1.32. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Clearly, Alaska Air Group is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Alaska Air Group might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of ‘B’ and a Momentum score of ‘A’. This gives Alaska Air Group a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of ‘A’. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen four estimates go higher in the past sixty days, compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen five upward revisions and no downward revision in the same time period.

This has had a positive impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 6.2% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has climbed 20.2%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

This positive trend signifies bullish analyst sentiment, and its Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates robust fundamentals and expectations of outperformance in the near term.

 Bottom Line

Alaska Air Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. With a decent industry rank (Top 22% out of more than 250 industries) and strong Zacks Rank, Alaska Air Group looks like a strong value contender. In fact, over the past one year, the Zacks Transportation-Airline sector has clearly outperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.

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