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Is Spartan Stores (SPTN) 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.

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

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.

One company value investors might notice is Spartan Stores (SPTN - Free Report) . SPTN is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 13.26. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 20.59. Over the last 12 months, SPTN's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.59 and as low as 6.03, with a median of 9.12.

Investors should also note that SPTN holds a PEG ratio of 1.71. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. SPTN's industry currently sports an average PEG of 2.49. Over the past 52 weeks, SPTN's PEG has been as high as 1.94 and as low as 0.86, with a median of 1.25.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that SPTN has a P/CF ratio of 6.95. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 9.96. SPTN's P/CF has been as high as 7.02 and as low as 3.43, with a median of 4.91, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Spartan Stores'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, SPTN looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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