Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Builders FirstSource (BLDR) Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

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 use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 Builders FirstSource (BLDR - Free Report) . BLDR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 7.57, while its industry has an average P/E of 17.02. Over the past year, BLDR's Forward P/E has been as high as 16.57 and as low as 7.57, with a median of 11.27.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. BLDR has a P/S ratio of 0.62. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.8.

Finally, we should also recognize that BLDR has a P/CF ratio of 5.72. 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 13.55. BLDR's P/CF has been as high as 15.57 and as low as 5.40, with a median of 8.10, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Builders FirstSource'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, BLDR looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR) - free report >>

Published in