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Is Heritage Insurance (HRTG) a Great Value Stock 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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

Heritage Insurance (HRTG - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. HRTG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is HRTG's P/B ratio of 0.73. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 1.42. HRTG's P/B has been as high as 1.10 and as low as 0.62, with a median of 0.91, over the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. HRTG has a P/S ratio of 0.6. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.72.

Finally, investors should note that HRTG has a P/CF ratio of 7.19. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. HRTG's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 15.10. Over the past 52 weeks, HRTG's P/CF has been as high as 11.03 and as low as 5.97, with a median of 8.96.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Heritage Insurance'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, HRTG looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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