Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Aveanna Healthcare (AVAH) 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.

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.

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 Aveanna Healthcare (AVAH - Free Report) . AVAH is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 17.55. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 18.51. Over the past 52 weeks, AVAH's Forward P/E has been as high as 296.02 and as low as -1,528.95, with a median of 46.39.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. AVAH has a P/S ratio of 1.07. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.44.

Finally, our model also underscores that AVAH has a P/CF ratio of 31.95. 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. AVAH's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 32.64. Within the past 12 months, AVAH's P/CF has been as high as 70.13 and as low as -38.60, with a median of 26.01.

Another great Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare stock you could consider is Option Care Health (OPCH - Free Report) , which is a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Shares of Option Care Health currently hold a Forward P/E ratio of 15.09, and its PEG ratio is 1.40. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 18.51 and 1.33.

Over the last 12 months, OPCH's P/E has been as high as 25.75, as low as 14.74, with a median of 18.54, and its PEG ratio has been as high as 2.97, as low as 1.37, with a median of 1.75.

Option Care Health sports a P/B ratio of 3.38 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 4.66. In the past 52 weeks, OPCH's P/B has been as high as 4.27, as low as 2.59, with a median of 3.66.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Aveanna Healthcare and Option Care Health are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, AVAH and OPCH sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

Published in