Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Office Depot, Inc. (ODP Quick QuoteODP - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Office Depot has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 11.65, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 compares in at about 20.53. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Office Depot’s current PE ratio slightly above its midpoint over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Retail-Wholesale sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 25.06. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Office Depot has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 9.70, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Office Depot stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Office Depot has a P/S ratio of about 0.23. This is significantly lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.11 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

If anything, this suggests some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Office Depot currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘A’, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Office Depot a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the PEG ratio for Office Depot is just 0.47, a level that is considerably lower than the industry average of 1.23. The PEG ratio is a modified PE ratio that takes into account the stock’s earnings growth rate. Additionally, its P/CF ratio (another great indicator of value) comes in at 3.20, which is substantially better than the industry average of 7.22. Clearly, Office Depot is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Office Depot might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of ‘A’ and a Momentum score of ‘B’. This gives Office Depot a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of ‘A’. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed at best. The current quarter has seen one estimate go lower in the past sixty days, compared to none higher, while the full year estimate has seen one upward and two downward revisions in the same time period.

This has had a mixed impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate decreased 7.7% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has risen by about 2.1%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

This somewhat mixed trend is why the stock has just a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Office Depot is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 13% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the Zacks Retail-Miscellaneous/Diversified sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

So, value investors might want to wait for the broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

5 Trades Could Profit "Big-League" from Trump Policies

If the stocks above spark your interest, wait until you look into companies primed to make substantial gains from Washington's changing course. Today Zacks reveals 5 tickers that could benefit from new trends like streamlined drug approvals, tariffs, lower taxes, higher interest rates, and spending surges in defense and infrastructure. See these buy recommendations now >>