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Is Patterson Cos. (PDCO) a Great Value Stock 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.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) . PDCO is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.57. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.91. Over the past 52 weeks, PDCO's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.22 and as low as 10.36, with a median of 13.90.

PDCO is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.64. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. PDCO's industry has an average PEG of 1.69 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, PDCO's PEG has been as high as 2.33 and as low as 1.22, with a median of 1.78.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is PDCO's P/B ratio of 1.55. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus 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 3.09. PDCO's P/B has been as high as 2.81 and as low as 1.35, with a median of 2.06, over the past year.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that PDCO has a P/CF ratio of 7.78. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 16.53. Over the past 52 weeks, PDCO's P/CF has been as high as 13.47 and as low as 6.09, with a median of 9.06.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Patterson Cos. Is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, PDCO sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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