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Should Value Investors Buy Associated British Foods (ASBFY) Stock?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Associated British Foods (ASBFY - Free Report) . ASBFY is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 15.06, while its industry has an average P/E of 17.35. Over the past year, ASBFY's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.72 and as low as 9.30, with a median of 12.11.

Investors should also recognize that ASBFY has a P/B ratio of 1.26. 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 company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.34. Over the past year, ASBFY's P/B has been as high as 1.53 and as low as 0.75, with a median of 1.12.

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


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