Is Kroger (KR) a Great Value Stock Right Now?
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, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. 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.
Kroger (KR) is a stock many investors are watching right now. KR is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 12.93, which compares to its industry's average of 19.63. Over the past year, KR's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.71 and as low as 10.89, with a median of 12.80.
KR is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.90. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. KR's industry has an average PEG of 3.05 right now. Over the last 12 months, KR's PEG has been as high as 4.68 and as low as 1.75, with a median of 1.97.
Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. KR has a P/S ratio of 0.18. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.34.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Kroger is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, KR feels like a great value stock at the moment.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
The Kroger Co. (KR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
