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Is Sotheby's (BID) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 to watch right now is Sotheby's . BID is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 15.50, which compares to its industry's average of 25.31. BID's Forward P/E has been as high as 21.74 and as low as 13.30, with a median of 16.28, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for BID is its P/B ratio of 4.14. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 6.30. Over the past year, BID's P/B has been as high as 5.34 and as low as 3.89, with a median of 4.32.

Finally, we should also recognize that BID has a P/CF ratio of 14.29. 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 22.60. BID's P/CF has been as high as 22.72 and as low as 13.44, with a median of 17.52, all within the past year.

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

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