Is Sonic Automotive (SAH) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

SAH

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 Sonic Automotive (SAH - Free Report) . SAH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 9.86. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.23. SAH's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.51 and as low as 7.38, with a median of 10.86, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that SAH has a P/B ratio of 1.39. 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 stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.84. Within the past 52 weeks, SAH's P/B has been as high as 1.65 and as low as 0.71, with a median of 1.17.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. SAH has a P/S ratio of 0.12. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.26.

Finally, we should also recognize that SAH has a P/CF ratio of 6.06. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 8.63. Over the past 52 weeks, SAH's P/CF has been as high as 7.17 and as low as 3.34, with a median of 5.18.

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

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