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Is American Financial Group (AFG) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. 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 American Financial Group (AFG - Free Report) . AFG 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 12.09, while its industry has an average P/E of 25.03. Over the past 52 weeks, AFG's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.29 and as low as 9.90, with a median of 11.45.

AFG is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.96. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. AFG's industry has an average PEG of 2.99 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, AFG's PEG has been as high as 2.23 and as low as 0.79, with a median of 1.85.

Finally, we should also recognize that AFG has a P/CF ratio of 11.08. 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. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.66. Within the past 12 months, AFG's P/CF has been as high as 15.34 and as low as 8.69, with a median of 10.54.

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


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