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Are Investors Undervaluing Rent-A-Center (RCII) Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

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.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

Rent-A-Center is a stock many investors are watching right now. RCII is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Another notable valuation metric for RCII is its P/B ratio of 5.52. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 9.04. Within the past 52 weeks, RCII's P/B has been as high as 5.88 and as low as 2.81, with a median of 3.53.

Finally, investors should note that RCII has a P/CF ratio of 4.16. 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 9.34. RCII's P/CF has been as high as 4.20 and as low as 1.55, with a median of 2.16, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Rent-A-Center'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, RCII looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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