Are Investors Undervaluing Peabody Energy (BTU) 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.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. 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.

One company to watch right now is Peabody Energy (BTU). BTU is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is BTU's P/B ratio of 1.20. 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. BTU's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.34. Within the past 52 weeks, BTU's P/B has been as high as 1.69 and as low as 1.15, with a median of 1.37.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that BTU has a P/CF ratio of 2.66. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. BTU's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 2.82. BTU's P/CF has been as high as 8.20 and as low as 2.58, with a median of 4.51, all within the past year.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Peabody Energy is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, BTU feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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