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Should Value Investors Buy DaVita HealthCare (DVA) Stock?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 company to watch right now is DaVita HealthCare (DVA - Free Report) . DVA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.42. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.06. Over the last 12 months, DVA's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.61 and as low as 10.51, with a median of 12.75.

We also note that DVA holds a PEG ratio of 0.74. 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. DVA's industry has an average PEG of 1.85 right now. DVA's PEG has been as high as 1.59 and as low as 0.52, with a median of 0.76, all within the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. DVA has a P/S ratio of 1.06. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.42.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that DVA has a P/CF ratio of 9.23. 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. DVA's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 26.35. Over the past 52 weeks, DVA's P/CF has been as high as 11.04 and as low as 5.46, with a median of 7.25.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in DaVita HealthCare'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, DVA looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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