Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy United Microelectronics (UMC) Stock?

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 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 stock to keep an eye on is United Microelectronics (UMC - Free Report) . UMC is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 14.66 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 30.89. UMC's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.93 and as low as 7.87, with a median of 11.44, 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. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. UMC has a P/S ratio of 2.81. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.54.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in United Microelectronics'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, UMC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) - free report >>

Garrett Motion Inc. (GTX) - free report >>

Published in