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Are Investors Undervaluing Ameriprise Financial (AMP) Right Now?

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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.

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 company value investors might notice is Ameriprise Financial (AMP - Free Report) . AMP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 12.26. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.18. Over the past 52 weeks, AMP's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.63 and as low as 10.72, with a median of 13.43.

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 preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. AMP has a P/S ratio of 2.58. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.13.

Finally, investors should note that AMP has a P/CF ratio of 15.60. 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. AMP's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 32.62. Within the past 12 months, AMP's P/CF has been as high as 23.08 and as low as 14.74, with a median of 17.06.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Ameriprise Financial'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 AMP is an impressive value stock right now.

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