Are Investors Undervaluing EZCORP (EZPW) Right Now?
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.
Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.
In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.
EZCORP (EZPW) is a stock many investors are watching right now. EZPW is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.
EZPW is also sporting a PEG ratio of 0.28. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. EZPW's industry currently sports an average PEG of 0.71. Within the past year, EZPW's PEG has been as high as 0.36 and as low as 0.26, with a median of 0.30.
Another notable valuation metric for EZPW is its P/B ratio of 0.71. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus 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 0.91. Over the past 12 months, EZPW's P/B has been as high as 0.74 and as low as 0.57, with a median of 0.65.
Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. EZPW has a P/S ratio of 0.52. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.29.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that EZCORP is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, EZPW feels like a great value stock at the moment.
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EZCORP, Inc. (EZPW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
