Are Investors Undervaluing Assurant (AIZ) 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.
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.
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 Assurant (AIZ). AIZ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.
Another valuation metric that we should highlight is AIZ's P/B ratio of 1.94. 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. AIZ's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.52. Within the past 52 weeks, AIZ's P/B has been as high as 1.95 and as low as 1.31, with a median of 1.61.
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. AIZ has a P/S ratio of 0.82. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.94.
These are just a handful of the figures considered in Assurant'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 AIZ is an impressive value stock right now.
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Assurant, Inc. (AIZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
