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Are Investors Undervaluing Wabash National (WNC) 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.

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 company to watch right now is Wabash National (WNC - Free Report) . WNC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 6.45, which compares to its industry's average of 18.05. Over the past year, WNC's Forward P/E has been as high as 33.38 and as low as 5.85, with a median of 8.33.

Another notable valuation metric for WNC is its P/B ratio of 2.20. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. WNC's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.08. WNC's P/B has been as high as 3.29 and as low as 1.79, with a median of 2.31, 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. WNC has a P/S ratio of 0.34. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.68.

Finally, investors should note that WNC has a P/CF ratio of 10.69. 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. WNC's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 22.81. WNC's P/CF has been as high as 21.37 and as low as 4.05, with a median of 11.86, all within the past year.

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


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