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Are Investors Undervaluing Ryder System (R) 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.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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.

Ryder System (R - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. R is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 12.74, which compares to its industry's average of 14.59. Over the past year, R's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.18 and as low as 9.22, with a median of 11.32.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is R's P/B ratio of 2.44. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against 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 4.04. Over the past year, R's P/B has been as high as 2.52 and as low as 1.79, with a median of 2.16.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. R has a P/S ratio of 0.69. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.99.

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

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