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Should Value Investors Buy Harley-Davidson (HOG) Stock?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

Harley-Davidson (HOG - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. HOG is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.94. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 37.30. HOG's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.95 and as low as 11.16, with a median of 14.83, all within the past year.

Investors should also note that HOG holds a PEG ratio of 0.57. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. HOG's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.68. Over the past 52 weeks, HOG's PEG has been as high as 3.16 and as low as 0.54, with a median of 2.40.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is HOG's P/B ratio of 3.41. 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 company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 7.64. HOG's P/B has been as high as 4.03 and as low as 2.13, with a median of 3.21, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. HOG has a P/S ratio of 1.34. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.58.

Finally, investors should note that HOG has a P/CF ratio of 14.68. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. HOG's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 23.57. HOG's P/CF has been as high as 23.94 and as low as 9.58, with a median of 15.28, 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 Harley-Davidson is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, HOG feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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