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Should Value Investors Buy E-Trade (ETFC) Stock?

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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.

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 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 company value investors might notice is E-Trade . ETFC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.

We should also highlight that ETFC has a P/B ratio of 1.95. 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 2.03. Over the past 12 months, ETFC's P/B has been as high as 2.82 and as low as 1.73, with a median of 2.13.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ETFC has a P/CF ratio of 9.02. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 19.37. Within the past 12 months, ETFC's P/CF has been as high as 17.99 and as low as 8.49, with a median of 10.98.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in E-Trade'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 ETFC is an impressive value stock right now.

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