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Should Value Investors Buy Innoviva (INVA) 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.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One company value investors might notice is Innoviva (INVA - Free Report) . INVA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.04, while its industry has an average P/E of 16.39. Over the past 52 weeks, INVA's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.29 and as low as 7.03, with a median of 8.64.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. INVA has a P/S ratio of 2.44. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 4.54.

Merck & Co. (MRK - Free Report) may be another strong Large Cap Pharmaceuticals stock to add to your shortlist. MRK is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

Merck & Co. is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 14.54 while its PEG ratio sits at 1.43. Both of the company's metrics compare favorably to its industry's average P/E of 16.39 and average PEG ratio of 1.49.


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