Is Zions (ZION) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. 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 Zions (ZION). ZION is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.52. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.37. Over the past year, ZION's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.13 and as low as 10.95, with a median of 13.94.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is ZION's P/B ratio of 1.37. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 1.62. Over the past year, ZION's P/B has been as high as 1.63 and as low as 1.22, with a median of 1.47.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. ZION has a P/S ratio of 3.29. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.74.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ZION has a P/CF ratio of 10.43. 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 12.89. Within the past 12 months, ZION's P/CF has been as high as 15.51 and as low as 9.62, with a median of 13.32.

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

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