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Are Investors Undervaluing Crawford & Company (CRD.B) Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of 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.

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 Crawford & Company (CRD.B - Free Report) . CRD.B is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.72, while its industry has an average P/E of 17.99. Over the past 52 weeks, CRD.B's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.50 and as low as 6.36, with a median of 7.66.

Another notable valuation metric for CRD.B is its P/B ratio of 3.21. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. CRD.B's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.68. Within the past 52 weeks, CRD.B's P/B has been as high as 3.39 and as low as 1.37, with a median of 1.79.

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG - Free Report) may be another strong Business - Services stock to add to your shortlist. HCSG is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

Furthermore, Healthcare Services Group holds a P/B ratio of 2.58 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 3.68. HCSG's P/B has been as high as 3.30, as low as 2.05, with a median of 2.39 over the past 12 months.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Crawford & Company and Healthcare Services Group are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, CRD.B and HCSG sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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