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Should Value Investors Buy Zions Bancorporation (ZION) Stock?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

Zions Bancorporation (ZION - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. ZION is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by 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. ZION has a P/S ratio of 1.57. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.3.

Finally, investors should note that ZION has a P/CF ratio of 8.97. 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. ZION's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 10.27. Within the past 12 months, ZION's P/CF has been as high as 11.06 and as low as 6.62, with a median of 8.64.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Zions Bancorporation'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, ZION looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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