U.S. equity markets ended on a mixed note yesterday. The Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.43% to close at 25,476.64, while the S&P 500 edged 0.10% lower to 7,358.22. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average outperformed, rising 182.06 points, or 0.35%, to finish at 51,848.90.

Market sentiment improved as crude oil prices fell sharply, easing concerns over supply disruptions amid expectations that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would normalize. The decline in oil also helped ease inflation worries, providing support to broader equity markets.

Against this backdrop, value stocks could become increasingly attractive for long-term investors. Companies with stable cash flows, disciplined cost structures and reasonable valuations are generally better positioned to benefit from improving sentiment and easing macroeconomic pressures.

When evaluating value stocks, one of the most effective valuation metrics is the Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio. This metric measures the market price of a stock 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. Here are four companies — Nexa Resources S.A. (NEXA Quick QuoteNEXA - Free Report) , Avnet, Inc. (AVT Quick QuoteAVT - Free Report) , StoneCo Ltd. (STNE Quick QuoteSTNE - Free Report) and USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (USNA Quick QuoteUSNA - Free Report) — that boast a low P/CF ratio.

Price to Cash Flow Reveals Financial Health

Questions may arise as to why we are considering the P/CF valuation metric when the most widely used metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). Well, what makes P/CF stand out is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, reflecting 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. It is net cash flow that reveals how much money a company is actually generating and how effectively management is putting the same to use.

A positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, shell out for its expenses, reinvest in its business, endure downturns and finally pay back its shareholders. Then again, a negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which lowers its flexibility to support these moves.

What’s the Best Value Investing Strategy?

An investment decision solely based on the P/CF metric may not fetch 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 portrays 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 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 230.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. NEXA has a Value Score of A. Shares of NEXA have soared 158.1% 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 B. Shares of AVT have surged 67.4% over the past year.

Stone, a leading provider of financial technology solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.1%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Stone’s current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 10.3% and 42.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. STNE has a Value Score of A. Shares of STNE have fallen 27.7% 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 35.5% over the past year.