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Should Value Investors Buy Universal Health Services (UHS) Stock?

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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.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Universal Health Services (UHS - Free Report) . UHS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 13.65, which compares to its industry's average of 15.83. Over the last 12 months, UHS's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.12 and as low as 10.83, with a median of 12.67.

Investors should also note that UHS holds a PEG ratio of 0.94. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. UHS's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.66. Over the last 12 months, UHS's PEG has been as high as 3.76 and as low as 0.91, with a median of 1.35.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Universal Health Services's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, UHS looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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