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Are Investors Undervaluing Mitsubishi (MSBHF) Right Now?

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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, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. 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 company to watch right now is Mitsubishi (MSBHF - Free Report) . MSBHF is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 15.37. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.45. MSBHF's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.96 and as low as 10.10, with a median of 12.49, all within the past year.

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. MSBHF has a P/S ratio of 0.65. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.17.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MSBHF has a P/CF ratio of 8.42. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 15.37. MSBHF's P/CF has been as high as 8.89 and as low as 5.72, with a median of 7.37, all within the past year.

Investors could also keep in mind Sumitomo (SSUMY - Free Report) , another Diversified Operations stock with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and Value grade of A.

Sumitomo is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 7.92 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 5.83. This compares to its industry's average P/E of 16.45 and average PEG ratio of 1.95.

Over the past year, SSUMY's P/E has been as high as 8.98, as low as 6.72, with a median of 7.66; its PEG ratio has been as high as 5.98, as low as 0.40, with a median of 0.61 during the same time period.

Sumitomo also has a P/B ratio of 0.95 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 6.61. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 1.04, as low as 0.76, with a median of 0.88.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Mitsubishi and Sumitomo strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, MSBHF and SSUMY look like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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