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Should Value Investors Buy Merck KGaA (MKKGY) 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.

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

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is Merck KGaA (MKKGY - Free Report) . MKKGY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Another notable valuation metric for MKKGY is its P/B ratio of 0.51. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.40. Over the past 12 months, MKKGY's P/B has been as high as 0.79 and as low as 0.49, with a median of 0.57.

Finally, we should also recognize that MKKGY has a P/CF ratio of 6.31. 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. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.70. MKKGY's P/CF has been as high as 16.19 and as low as 5.95, with a median of 6.94, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Merck KGaA'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, MKKGY looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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