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Is Sonic Automotive (SAH) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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.

One stock to keep an eye on is Sonic Automotive (SAH - Free Report) . SAH is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A.

Investors should also note that SAH holds a PEG ratio of 0.63. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. SAH's industry has an average PEG of 0.96 right now. Within the past year, SAH's PEG has been as high as 0.74 and as low as 0.44, with a median of 0.53.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. SAH has a P/S ratio of 0.18. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.21.

Finally, investors should note that SAH has a P/CF ratio of 8.93. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 10.63. SAH's P/CF has been as high as 10.08 and as low as 5.06, with a median of 6.80, all within the past year.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Sonic Automotive is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, SAH feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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