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Is ArcBest (ARCB) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One company value investors might notice is ArcBest (ARCB - Free Report) . ARCB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 13.71, which compares to its industry's average of 16.95. ARCB's Forward P/E has been as high as 28.44 and as low as 13, with a median of 16.53, all within the past year.

Investors will also notice that ARCB has a PEG ratio of 0.34. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. ARCB's industry has an average PEG of 0.99 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, ARCB's PEG has been as high as 0.60 and as low as 0.33, with a median of 0.43.

Investors should also recognize that ARCB has a P/B ratio of 1.77. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 2.66. Over the past year, ARCB's P/B has been as high as 1.91 and as low as 1.08, with a median of 1.41.

Finally, our model also underscores that ARCB has a P/CF ratio of 7.27. 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. ARCB's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 10.06. ARCB's P/CF has been as high as 7.95 and as low as 4.60, with a median of 6.56, all within the past year.

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


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