Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Itron (ITRI) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

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.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company value investors might notice is Itron (ITRI - Free Report) . ITRI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.59. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 24.52. Over the past 52 weeks, ITRI's Forward P/E has been as high as 25.88 and as low as 16.50, with a median of 21.46.

Another notable valuation metric for ITRI is its P/B ratio of 3.37. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 4.33. Within the past 52 weeks, ITRI's P/B has been as high as 4.10 and as low as 2.78, with a median of 3.47.

Finally, we should also recognize that ITRI has a P/CF ratio of 16.89. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 26.66. Over the past year, ITRI's P/CF has been as high as 20.38 and as low as 13.50, with a median of 16.93.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Itron'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 ITRI is an impressive value stock right now.

Published in