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Is Carriage Services (CSV) 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, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Carriage Services (CSV - Free Report) . CSV is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 11.80, while its industry has an average P/E of 16.58. CSV's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.96 and as low as 8.20, with a median of 13.86, all within the past year.

We also note that CSV holds a PEG ratio of 0.79. 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. CSV's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.44. Over the past 52 weeks, CSV's PEG has been as high as 1.26 and as low as 0.55, with a median of 0.92.

Investors should also recognize that CSV has a P/B ratio of 1.59. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. CSV's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.70. Over the past 12 months, CSV's P/B has been as high as 2.24 and as low as 1.11, with a median of 1.68.

Finally, we should also recognize that CSV has a P/CF ratio of 9.10. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.20. Within the past 12 months, CSV's P/CF has been as high as 17.13 and as low as 6.34, with a median of 12.50.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Carriage Services'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, CSV looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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