Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Nice (NICE) Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. 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 stock to keep an eye on is Nice (NICE - Free Report) . NICE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.58. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 26.20. NICE's Forward P/E has been as high as 16.60 and as low as 9.78, with a median of 13.07, all within the past year.

We should also highlight that NICE has a P/B ratio of 2.6. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus 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 4.56. Over the past year, NICE's P/B has been as high as 3.50 and as low as 2.17, with a median of 2.91.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. NICE has a P/S ratio of 1.95. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.24.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that NICE has a P/CF ratio of 13.51. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 14.84. Over the past year, NICE's P/CF has been as high as 20.88 and as low as 11.26, with a median of 16.30.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Nice's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that NICE is an impressive value stock right now.

Published in