Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) Right Now?

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 company value investors might notice is American Eagle Outfitters (AEO - Free Report) . AEO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

We should also highlight that AEO has a P/B ratio of 2.12. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with 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 5.59. AEO's P/B has been as high as 2.54 and as low as 1.05, with a median of 1.48, over the past year.

Finally, our model also underscores that AEO has a P/CF ratio of 7.59. 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. AEO's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 12.45. Over the past year, AEO's P/CF has been as high as 9.27 and as low as 3.36, with a median of 5.12.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in American Eagle Outfitters'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, AEO looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

Published in