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Should Value Investors Buy WPX Energy (WPX) Stock?

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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.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 company to watch right now is WPX Energy . WPX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

We also note that WPX holds a PEG ratio of 0.48. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. WPX's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 0.76. WPX's PEG has been as high as 1.31 and as low as 0.48, with a median of 0.71, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is WPX's P/B ratio of 1.08. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. WPX's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.81. Within the past 52 weeks, WPX's P/B has been as high as 2.19 and as low as 1.07, with a median of 1.47.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that WPX has a P/CF ratio of 4.24. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 5.04. Over the past 52 weeks, WPX's P/CF has been as high as 15.16 and as low as 4.19, with a median of 7.98.

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

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