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Is ArcBest (ARCB) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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.

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 ArcBest (ARCB - Free Report) . ARCB is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 11.63, which compares to its industry's average of 22.98. Over the last 12 months, ARCB's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.40 and as low as 4.96, with a median of 9.19.

We should also highlight that ARCB has a P/B ratio of 2.31. 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 4.03. Over the past 12 months, ARCB's P/B has been as high as 2.41 and as low as 1.46, with a median of 1.91.

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 popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. ARCB has a P/S ratio of 0.62. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.01.

Finally, our model also underscores that ARCB has a P/CF ratio of 8.80. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 15.86. Within the past 12 months, ARCB's P/CF has been as high as 9.15 and as low as 3.79, with a median of 5.56.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in ArcBest's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that ARCB is an impressive value stock right now.


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