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Are Investors Undervaluing L Brands (LB) 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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 to watch right now is L Brands . LB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 12.46, while its industry has an average P/E of 15.04. Over the last 12 months, LB's Forward P/E has been as high as 19.91 and as low as 9.84, with a median of 12.34.

LB is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.08. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. LB's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.29. Over the past 52 weeks, LB's PEG has been as high as 1.73 and as low as 0.86, with a median of 1.07.

Finally, investors should note that LB has a P/CF ratio of 7.07. 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. LB's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 8.36. Over the past 52 weeks, LB's P/CF has been as high as 12.22 and as low as 5.07, with a median of 6.99.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in L Brands's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that LB is an impressive value stock right now.

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