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Is Matson (MATX) Stock Undervalued 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 use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is Matson (MATX - Free Report) . MATX 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 4.70 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 11.27. Over the last 12 months, MATX's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.45 and as low as 3.88, with a median of 8.84.

Another notable valuation metric for MATX is its P/B ratio of 2.01. 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 3.38. Over the past 12 months, MATX's P/B has been as high as 3.21 and as low as 1.76, with a median of 2.59.

Another great Transportation - Services stock you could consider is Universal Logistics (ULH - Free Report) , which is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Additionally, Universal Logistics has a P/B ratio of 2.46 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 3.38. For ULH, this valuation metric has been as high as 2.64, as low as 1.43, with a median of 1.90 over the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Matson and Universal Logistics are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, MATX and ULH sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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