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Zacks.com featured highlights include Universal Health Services, PNC Financial Services, Global Payments and BioMarin Pharmaceutical
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – January 15, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS - Free Report) , The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC - Free Report) , Global Payments Inc. (GPN - Free Report) and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN - Free Report) .
4 Value Stocks to Buy as Wall Street Weighs Trump Policies
Wall Street declined as financial stocks fell amid renewed policy concerns, undermining investor confidence. As equities dropped, a rush to safe havens drove gold to new highs. Meanwhile, crude oil prices rose as geopolitical tensions involving Iran escalated.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.80% (or 398.21 points) yesterday to close at 49,191.99, the S&P 500 ended 0.19% (or 13.53 points) lower at 6,963.74, and the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.10% (or 24.03 points) to 23,709.87. Markets weighed President Trump's proposals, including possible caps on credit card interest rates and a proposed 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran.
Against this backdrop of elevated macro uncertainty, value stocks may offer a more disciplined path to returns. Often trading below their intrinsic value, these stocks offer a safety margin that is especially appealing during periods of market uncertainty. When evaluating value stocks, one of the most effective valuation metrics is the Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio.
Companies like Universal Health Services, Inc., The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Global Payments Inc. and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. boast a low P/CF ratio. The P/CF ratio evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better.
Price to Cash Flow Reflects Financial Health
Value investing is considered one of the best practices when it comes to picking stocks. It is essentially about selecting stocks that are fundamentally sound but have been beaten down by some external factors. Such stocks are poised to bounce back as and when investors recognize the inherent value of companies. Certainly, the value investment strategy best suits investors with a long-term horizon.
There are different valuation metrics to determine a stock's inherent strength. Still, a random selection of a ratio cannot serve your purpose if you want a realistic assessment of a company's financial position. For this, the Price to Cash Flow ratio is one of the key metrics.
Price-to-Cash-Flow metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better. One of the important factors that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company's financial health.
Analysts caution that a company's earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. However, cash flow is reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company is actually generating and how effectively management is deploying the same.
Positive cash flow indicates an increase in a company's liquid assets. It gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in its business, endure downturns and finally pay back its shareholders. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company's liquidity, which in turn lowers its flexibility to support these moves.
What's the Best Value Investing Strategy?
An investment decision based solely on the P/CF metric may not yield the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and also consider the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio, and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chance of falling into a value trap.
Here are four of the 11 value stocks that qualified the screening:
Universal Health Services, which owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.2%, on average. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Universal Health Services' current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 9.7% and 31.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. UHS has a Value Score of A. Shares of UHS have risen 9.9% in the past year.
PNC Financial Services, one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PNC Financial Services' current financial-year sales and EPS calls for growth of 7% and 15%, respectively, from the year-ago period. PNC has a Value Score of B. Shares of PNC have jumped 6% in the past year.
Global Payments, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.9%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Global Payments' current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 1.7% and 5.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. GPN has a Value Score of A. Shares of GPN have declined 28.9% in the past year.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, a leading global rare disease biotechnology company, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 66.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BioMarin Pharmaceutical's current financial-year sales and EPS implies growth of 11.1% and 2.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. BMRN has a Value Score of A. Shares of BMRN have fallen 10.3% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks.com featured highlights include Universal Health Services, PNC Financial Services, Global Payments and BioMarin Pharmaceutical
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – January 15, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS - Free Report) , The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC - Free Report) , Global Payments Inc. (GPN - Free Report) and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN - Free Report) .
4 Value Stocks to Buy as Wall Street Weighs Trump Policies
Wall Street declined as financial stocks fell amid renewed policy concerns, undermining investor confidence. As equities dropped, a rush to safe havens drove gold to new highs. Meanwhile, crude oil prices rose as geopolitical tensions involving Iran escalated.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.80% (or 398.21 points) yesterday to close at 49,191.99, the S&P 500 ended 0.19% (or 13.53 points) lower at 6,963.74, and the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.10% (or 24.03 points) to 23,709.87. Markets weighed President Trump's proposals, including possible caps on credit card interest rates and a proposed 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran.
Against this backdrop of elevated macro uncertainty, value stocks may offer a more disciplined path to returns. Often trading below their intrinsic value, these stocks offer a safety margin that is especially appealing during periods of market uncertainty. When evaluating value stocks, one of the most effective valuation metrics is the Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio.
Companies like Universal Health Services, Inc., The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Global Payments Inc. and BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. boast a low P/CF ratio. The P/CF ratio evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better.
Price to Cash Flow Reflects Financial Health
Value investing is considered one of the best practices when it comes to picking stocks. It is essentially about selecting stocks that are fundamentally sound but have been beaten down by some external factors. Such stocks are poised to bounce back as and when investors recognize the inherent value of companies. Certainly, the value investment strategy best suits investors with a long-term horizon.
There are different valuation metrics to determine a stock's inherent strength. Still, a random selection of a ratio cannot serve your purpose if you want a realistic assessment of a company's financial position. For this, the Price to Cash Flow ratio is one of the key metrics.
Price-to-Cash-Flow metric evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better. One of the important factors that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company's financial health.
Analysts caution that a company's earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. However, cash flow is reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company is actually generating and how effectively management is deploying the same.
Positive cash flow indicates an increase in a company's liquid assets. It gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in its business, endure downturns and finally pay back its shareholders. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company's liquidity, which in turn lowers its flexibility to support these moves.
What's the Best Value Investing Strategy?
An investment decision based solely on the P/CF metric may not yield the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and also consider the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio, and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chance of falling into a value trap.
Here are four of the 11 value stocks that qualified the screening:
Universal Health Services, which owns and operates acute care hospitals, and outpatient and behavioral health care facilities, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.2%, on average. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Universal Health Services' current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 9.7% and 31.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. UHS has a Value Score of A. Shares of UHS have risen 9.9% in the past year.
PNC Financial Services, one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.3%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PNC Financial Services' current financial-year sales and EPS calls for growth of 7% and 15%, respectively, from the year-ago period. PNC has a Value Score of B. Shares of PNC have jumped 6% in the past year.
Global Payments, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.9%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Global Payments' current financial-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 1.7% and 5.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. GPN has a Value Score of A. Shares of GPN have declined 28.9% in the past year.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, a leading global rare disease biotechnology company, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 66.5%, on average.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BioMarin Pharmaceutical's current financial-year sales and EPS implies growth of 11.1% and 2.3%, respectively, from the year-ago period. BMRN has a Value Score of A. Shares of BMRN have fallen 10.3% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2817085/4-value-stocks-to-buy-as-wall-street-weighs-trump-policies
Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
About Screen of the Week
Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
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Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Contact: Jim Giaquinto
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9268
Email: pr@zacks.com
Visit: https://www.zacks.com/
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.