Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Cardinal Health (CAH) Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) . CAH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 15.48. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.88. CAH's Forward P/E has been as high as 20.15 and as low as 13.69, with a median of 15.30, all within the past year.

CAH is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.24. 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. CAH's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.90. Over the last 12 months, CAH's PEG has been as high as 1.88 and as low as 1.22, with a median of 1.49.

Finally, our model also underscores that CAH has a P/CF ratio of 15.27. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 17.89. Over the past 52 weeks, CAH's P/CF has been as high as 17.47 and as low as 12.96, with a median of 15.12.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Cardinal Health'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, CAH looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

Published in