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Is Crane (CR) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One company value investors might notice is Crane (CR - Free Report) . CR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.25. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 23.50. Over the past 52 weeks, CR's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.77 and as low as 5.90, with a median of 12.94.

Investors will also notice that CR has a PEG ratio of 3.88. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. CR's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 4.40. Within the past year, CR's PEG has been as high as 4.28 and as low as 1.50, with a median of 3.90.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. CR has a P/S ratio of 0.97. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.05.

Finally, we should also recognize that CR has a P/CF ratio of 12.86. 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 company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 30.84. Within the past 12 months, CR's P/CF has been as high as 15.74 and as low as 6.81, with a median of 11.47.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Crane's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, CR looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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