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Should Value Investors Buy Henry Schein (HSIC) 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.

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.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company to watch right now is Henry Schein (HSIC - Free Report) . HSIC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 13.27, which compares to its industry's average of 17.66. HSIC's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.82 and as low as 12.57, with a median of 13.90, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for HSIC is its P/B ratio of 2.01. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 5.67. Within the past 52 weeks, HSIC's P/B has been as high as 2.53 and as low as 1.92, with a median of 2.16.

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. HSIC has a P/S ratio of 0.72. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.71.

Finally, investors should note that HSIC has a P/CF ratio of 11.89. 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. HSIC's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 18.88. HSIC's P/CF has been as high as 15.66 and as low as 10.92, with a median of 12.77, all within the past year.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Henry Schein'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 HSIC is an impressive value stock right now.

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