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Is Paranaense de Energia (ELP) 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 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 Paranaense de Energia (ELP - Free Report) . ELP 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 11.94. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.80. ELP's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.21 and as low as 5.94, with a median of 10.62, all within the past year.

We should also highlight that ELP has a P/B ratio of 0.92. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 1.52. ELP's P/B has been as high as 1.10 and as low as 0.51, with a median of 0.86, over the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. ELP has a P/S ratio of 1. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.93.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ELP has a P/CF ratio of 4.14. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 7.41. ELP's P/CF has been as high as 6.45 and as low as 2.90, with a median of 3.83, 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 Paranaense de Energia is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, ELP feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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