Should Value Investors Buy Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) Stock?

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 Affiliated Managers Group (AMG). AMG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.69. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.41. Over the past 52 weeks, AMG's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.13 and as low as 3.27, with a median of 5.86.

Investors should also recognize that AMG has a P/B ratio of 1.95. 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 1.96. AMG's P/B has been as high as 2.02 and as low as 0.64, with a median of 1.01, over the past year.

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. AMG has a P/S ratio of 2.94. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.

Finally, our model also underscores that AMG has a P/CF ratio of 15.83. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 36.66. AMG's P/CF has been as high as 22.27 and as low as 7.40, with a median of 10.31, all within the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Affiliated Managers Group'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, AMG looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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