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Is Centene (CNC) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Centene (CNC - Free Report) . CNC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 12.35, while its industry has an average P/E of 15.27. CNC's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.40 and as low as 4.41, with a median of 8.43, all within the past year.

Investors will also notice that CNC has a PEG ratio of 0.82. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. CNC's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.85. Over the last 12 months, CNC's PEG has been as high as 0.98 and as low as 0.38, with a median of 0.77.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. CNC has a P/S ratio of 0.16. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.29.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Centene is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, CNC feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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