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Should Value Investors Buy CAI International (CAI) Stock?

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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, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. 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 CAI International . CAI is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.22. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.88. Over the past 52 weeks, CAI's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.76 and as low as 3.84, with a median of 7.29.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is CAI's P/B ratio of 0.79. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against 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 0.92. Over the past 12 months, CAI's P/B has been as high as 0.88 and as low as 0.32, with a median of 0.65.

Finally, we should also recognize that CAI has a P/CF ratio of 3.79. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 4.93. CAI's P/CF has been as high as 3.79 and as low as 1.27, with a median of 2.57, all within the past year.

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

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