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Is Patterson Cos. (PDCO) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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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.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 Patterson Cos. (PDCO - Free Report) . PDCO is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 16.05, while its industry has an average P/E of 18.87. Over the past year, PDCO's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.40 and as low as 9.13, with a median of 13.65.

Investors will also notice that PDCO has a PEG ratio of 2.35. 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. PDCO's industry currently sports an average PEG of 2.64. PDCO's PEG has been as high as 3.86 and as low as 1.07, with a median of 2.24, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is PDCO's P/B ratio of 2.61. 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. PDCO's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 4.40. Over the past year, PDCO's P/B has been as high as 2.63 and as low as 0.85, with a median of 1.30.

Finally, investors should note that PDCO has a P/CF ratio of 12.09. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. PDCO's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 35.19. Over the past 52 weeks, PDCO's P/CF has been as high as 17.04 and as low as 7.56, with a median of 11.12.

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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