Are Investors Undervaluing Sterling Construction (STRL) 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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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.

Sterling Construction (STRL) is a stock many investors are watching right now. STRL 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 7.67. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.71. STRL's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.45 and as low as 5.10, with a median of 7.76, all within the past year.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. STRL has a P/S ratio of 0.28. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.36.

Finally, we should also recognize that STRL has a P/CF ratio of 4.37. 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. STRL's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 4.51. Over the past year, STRL's P/CF has been as high as 9.93 and as low as 2.93, with a median of 4.94.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Sterling Construction is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, STRL sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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