Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing ArcBest (ARCB) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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 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 stock to keep an eye on is ArcBest (ARCB - Free Report) . ARCB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.68. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 24.42. ARCB's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.40 and as low as 4.96, with a median of 9.49, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for ARCB is its P/B ratio of 2.31. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 4.31. Over the past year, ARCB's P/B has been as high as 2.45 and as low as 1.46, with a median of 1.94.

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. ARCB has a P/S ratio of 0.62. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.11.

Finally, we should also recognize that ARCB has a P/CF ratio of 8.78. 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. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 16.85. Over the past 52 weeks, ARCB's P/CF has been as high as 9.34 and as low as 3.79, with a median of 5.84.

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


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


ArcBest Corporation (ARCB) - free report >>

Published in