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Should Value Investors Buy Quanex Building Products (NX) 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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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.

Quanex Building Products (NX - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. NX is currently holding a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 7.26 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 16.70. Over the last 12 months, NX's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.99 and as low as 5.76, with a median of 9.56.

Investors should also note that NX holds a PEG ratio of 0.52. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. NX's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.48. NX's PEG has been as high as 0.93 and as low as 0.41, with a median of 0.68, all within the past year.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. NX has a P/S ratio of 0.57. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.51.

Finally, we should also recognize that NX has a P/CF ratio of 9.79. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 13.59. Over the past 52 weeks, NX's P/CF has been as high as 15.86 and as low as 6.94, with a median of 9.10.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Quanex Building Products is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, NX sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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