Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Accel Entertainment (ACEL) 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.

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Accel Entertainment (ACEL - Free Report) . ACEL is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.22. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 23.29. Over the past year, ACEL's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.76 and as low as 11.88, with a median of 14.32.

Another notable valuation metric for ACEL is its P/B ratio of 3.59. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 9.57. ACEL's P/B has been as high as 4.92 and as low as 3.14, with a median of 3.81, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. ACEL has a P/S ratio of 0.72. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.35.

Finally, investors should note that ACEL has a P/CF ratio of 8.80. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 24.62. Over the past year, ACEL's P/CF has been as high as 11.23 and as low as 7.35, with a median of 8.96.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Accel Entertainment is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ACEL sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

Published in