Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Carriage Services (CSV) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Carriage Services (CSV - Free Report) . CSV is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 12.18, while its industry has an average P/E of 18.12. Over the last 12 months, CSV's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.29 and as low as 7.96, with a median of 11.02.

Investors should also note that CSV holds a PEG ratio of 0.81. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. CSV's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.75. Within the past year, CSV's PEG has been as high as 0.89 and as low as 0.53, with a median of 0.73.

Investors should also recognize that CSV has a P/B ratio of 2.53. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against 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 5.88. Over the past 12 months, CSV's P/B has been as high as 3.01 and as low as 1.87, with a median of 2.23.

Finally, our model also underscores that CSV has a P/CF ratio of 8.93. 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. CSV's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 11.37. CSV's P/CF has been as high as 9.24 and as low as 5.86, with a median of 7.23, all within the past year.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Carriage Services'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 CSV is an impressive value stock right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Carriage Services, Inc. (CSV) - free report >>

Published in