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Are Investors Undervaluing The Gap (GAP) Right Now?

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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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One company to watch right now is The Gap (GAP - Free Report) . GAP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 10.3 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 15.06. GAP's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.41 and as low as 7.35, with a median of 10.44, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that GAP has a P/B ratio of 2.41. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 6.51. Over the past 12 months, GAP's P/B has been as high as 3.28 and as low as 2.04, with a median of 2.60.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. GAP has a P/S ratio of 0.5. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.51.

Finally, our model also underscores that GAP has a P/CF ratio of 6.07. 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 14.49. GAP's P/CF has been as high as 8.00 and as low as 5.03, with a median of 6.28, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in The Gap'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, GAP looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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