The U.S. stock market closed higher yesterday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 276.31 points, or 0.55%, to finish at 50,285.66. Broader indexes followed suit, with the S&P 500 rising 0.17% to 7,445.72, while the Nasdaq Composite increased 22.74 points to close at 26,293.10. The rally was supported by a retreat in oil prices, strength in semiconductor and AI-related stocks and a calmer global risk sentiment as investors tracked progress in U.S.-Iran talks.

Against this backdrop, value stocks present an appealing opportunity. When evaluating value stocks, one of the most effective valuation metrics is the Price-to-Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio. This metric measures a stock's market price relative to the cash flow the company generates on a per-share basis. A lower P/CF ratio indicates that the stock is trading at a better value, offering strong cash generation potential relative to its price. 

Companies — Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA Quick QuoteNEXA - Free Report) , Avnet, Inc. (AVT Quick QuoteAVT - Free Report) , Strategic Education, Inc. (STRA Quick QuoteSTRA - Free Report) and USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (USNA Quick QuoteUSNA - Free Report) — boast a low P/CF ratio.

Price to Cash Flow Reflects Financial Health

You must be wondering why we consider the P/CF valuation metric when the most widely used valuation metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). An important factor 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. Then again, cash flow is quite reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company generates and how effectively management is deploying the same.

Positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in the business, endure downturns and finally undertake shareholder-friendly moves. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which, in turn, lowers its flexibility to support these endeavors.

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 the parameters for selecting true-value stocks: 

P/CF less than or equal to X-Industry Median.

Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.

Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.

P/E using (F1) less than or equal to X-Industry Median: This parameter shortlists stocks that are trading at a discount or are equal to their peers.

P/B less than or equal to X-Industry Median: A lower P/B compared with the industry average implies that there is enough room for the stock to gain.

P/S less than or equal to X-Industry Median: The P/S ratio determines how a stock price compares to the company’s sales — the lower the ratio, the more attractive the stock is.

PEG less than 1: The ratio is used to determine a stock's value by taking the company's earnings growth into account. The PEG ratio gives a more complete picture than the P/E ratio. A value of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued and that investors need to pay less for a stock that has robust earnings growth prospects.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.

Value Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a Style Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

Here are four out of the 15 value stocks that qualified the screening:

Nexa Resources, a large-scale, low-cost, integrated polymetallic producer, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 59.9%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Nexa Resources’ current financial-year sales and EPS implies growth of 14.6% and 214.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. NEXA has a Value Score of A. Shares of NEXA have soared 182.6% over the past year.

Avnet, a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.5%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Avnet’s current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 20.7% and 48.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. AVT has a Value Score of A. Shares of AVT have surged 67.7% over the past year.

Strategic Education, which provides education services, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.2%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Strategic Education’s current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 2% and 16.5%, respectively, from the year-ago period. STRA has a Value Score of A. Shares of STRA have fallen 10% over the past year.

USANA Health, which develops and manufactures high-quality nutritional supplements, functional foods and personal care products, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.5%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for USANA Health’s current financial-year sales and EPS calls for growth of 2.1% and 9.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. USNA has a Value Score of A. Shares of USNA have declined 37% over the past year.