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Should Value Investors Buy AU Optronics (AUOTY) Stock?

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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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is AU Optronics (AUOTY - Free Report) . AUOTY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value.

Another notable valuation metric for AUOTY is its P/B ratio of 1.05. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus 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 2.41. Within the past 52 weeks, AUOTY's P/B has been as high as 1.11 and as low as 0.31, with a median of 0.59.

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. AUOTY has a P/S ratio of 0.76. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.27.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that AUOTY has a P/CF ratio of 11.77. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 19.75. Within the past 12 months, AUOTY's P/CF has been as high as 12.43 and as low as 3.11, with a median of 6.65.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in AU Optronics's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that AUOTY is an impressive value stock right now.


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