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Are Investors Undervaluing Williams-Sonoma (WSM) 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.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. 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 value investors might notice is Williams-Sonoma (WSM - Free Report) . WSM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 14.78 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 17.59. Over the last 12 months, WSM's Forward P/E has been as high as 24.03 and as low as 13.02, with a median of 16.80.

Another notable valuation metric for WSM is its P/B ratio of 8.84. 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. WSM's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 9.54. WSM's P/B has been as high as 9.73 and as low as 4.91, with a median of 5.87, over the past year.

Finally, investors should note that WSM has a P/CF ratio of 12.61. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 21.16. Over the past year, WSM's P/CF has been as high as 17.06 and as low as 9.91, with a median of 12.52.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Williams-Sonoma is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, WSM sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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