After an impressive 2023, the trajectory of the economy in 2024 hinges significantly on the dynamics of the labor market and the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rates. The Fed faces a delicate balancing act, contemplating policy choices that could either stifle economic momentum or risk reigniting inflationary pressure.

The job market has been painting a promising picture lately, with nonfarm payrolls expanding by 353,000 in January, surpassing expectations. The unemployment rate, holding steady at 3.7%, coupled with decent wage growth of 4.5% year over year, reinforces the robustness of the job market.

The recent decision of the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged underscores the need for consistent evidence of inflation easing before considering rate cuts. The interplay between economic growth and inflation containment will require astute and adaptive investment strategies to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks.

So, what’s the best investment strategy for 2024? We believe investment in stocks made on diligent value analysis is one of the best practices. In value investing, investors pick stocks that are cheap but fundamentally sound. There are a number of ratios to identify value stocks but none alone can conclusively determine their inherent potential. Each ratio helps an investor understand a particular aspect of the company’s business.

One such ratio, Price to Cash Flow (or P/CF), can work wonders in stock picking if used prudently. This metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per share basis — the lower the number, the better. Itron, Inc. (ITRI Quick QuoteITRI - Free Report) , EnerSys (ENS Quick QuoteENS - Free Report) , Centene Corporation (CNC Quick QuoteCNC - Free Report) and General Motors Company (GM Quick QuoteGM - Free Report) and boast a low P/CF ratio.

Why P/CF Ratio?

You must be wondering why we are considering this when the most widely used valuation metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). Well, an important factor that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company’s financial health.

Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. Then again, cash flow is quite reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company generates and how effectively management is deploying the same.

A positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in the business, endure downturns and finally undertake shareholder-friendly moves. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which, in turn, lowers its flexibility to support these endeavors.

However, an investment decision solely based on the P/CF metric may not fetch the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and take into account the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chances of falling into a value trap.

The Bargain Hunting Strategy

Here are the parameters for selecting true-value stocks:

P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.

Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.

Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.

P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to their peers.

P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.

P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio the more attractive the stock is.

PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.

Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

Here are four of the 10 stocks that qualified the screening:

Itron, a technology and service company that offers products and services for energy and water resource management, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 289.3%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Itron’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 20.6% and 154.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Itron has a Value Score of B. The stock has rallied 21.9% in the past year.

EnerSys, the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.4%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EnerSys’ current financial year EPS suggests growth of 60.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ENS has a Value Score of B. Shares of ENS have advanced 10.7% in the past year.

Centene, a leading healthcare enterprise, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.6%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Centene’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.3% and 15.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Centene has a Value Score of A. Shares of Centene have risen 4.4% in the past year.

General Motors, which designs, builds, and sells cars, trucks, crossovers, and automobile parts globally, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 20%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for General Motors’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 1.6% and 13.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period. General Motors has a Value Score of A. Shares of GM have fallen 8.8% in the past year.

You can get the rest of the stock on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.