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Are Investors Undervaluing Matson (MATX) 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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 company to watch right now is Matson (MATX - Free Report) . MATX 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 12.04. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 22.54. Over the last 12 months, MATX's Forward P/E has been as high as 28.13 and as low as 11.23, with a median of 17.76.

We should also highlight that MATX has a P/B ratio of 2.69. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. MATX's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.96. Within the past 52 weeks, MATX's P/B has been as high as 3.47 and as low as 1.45, with a median of 2.68.

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


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