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Is Macy's (M) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Macy's (M - Free Report) . M is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 5.02. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.32. Over the past 52 weeks, M's Forward P/E has been as high as 8.17 and as low as 2.50, with a median of 6.68.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. M has a P/S ratio of 0.07. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.09.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that M has a P/CF ratio of 1.24. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 4.25. Over the past year, M's P/CF has been as high as 3.81 and as low as 0.89, with a median of 2.71.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Macy's's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, M looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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