Are Investors Undervaluing Macy's (M) 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.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is Macy's (M). M is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.96. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.49. Over the last 12 months, M's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.55 and as low as 6.68, with a median of 8.11.

Investors will also notice that M has a PEG ratio of 0.93. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. M's industry has an average PEG of 1.12 right now. Over the last 12 months, M's PEG has been as high as 1.36 and as low as 0.81, with a median of 0.96.

We should also highlight that M has a P/B ratio of 1.03. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.38. Over the past year, M's P/B has been as high as 2.18 and as low as 0.99, with a median of 1.53.

Finally, investors should note that M has a P/CF ratio of 3.21. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. M's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 4.43. Over the past year, M's P/CF has been as high as 4.99 and as low as 2.89, with a median of 3.78.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Macy's'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 M is an impressive value stock right now.

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