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Should Value Investors Buy Central Garden & Pet (CENT) Stock?

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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.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

Central Garden & Pet (CENT - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. CENT is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 12.91. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 15.58. Over the past year, CENT's Forward P/E has been as high as 19.24 and as low as 12.63, with a median of 14.87.

Investors should also recognize that CENT has a P/B ratio of 1.38. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. CENT's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.66. CENT's P/B has been as high as 1.86 and as low as 1.33, with a median of 1.54, over the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Central Garden & Pet'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, CENT looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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