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Is Kroger (KR) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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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 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.

One company value investors might notice is Kroger (KR - Free Report) . KR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 14.76 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 21.56. Over the past 52 weeks, KR's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.06 and as low as 9.88, with a median of 12.57.

Investors will also notice that KR has a PEG ratio of 1.75. 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. KR's industry has an average PEG of 3 right now. KR's PEG has been as high as 2.48 and as low as 1.43, with a median of 1.92, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is KR's P/B ratio of 3.73. 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 stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 4. KR's P/B has been as high as 3.80 and as low as 2.36, with a median of 2.80, over the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. KR has a P/S ratio of 0.26. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.32.

Finally, investors should note that KR has a P/CF ratio of 7.11. 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 company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.58. Within the past 12 months, KR's P/CF has been as high as 7.25 and as low as 3.49, with a median of 4.54.

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


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