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Is The Gap (GPS) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 The Gap . GPS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.16. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.83. Over the last 12 months, GPS's Forward P/E has been as high as 31.95 and as low as -63.95, with a median of 19.95.

Investors should also recognize that GPS has a P/B ratio of 1.77. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.99. Over the past 12 months, GPS's P/B has been as high as 2.49 and as low as 1.25, with a median of 1.60.

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. GPS has a P/S ratio of 0.25. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.4.

Finally, investors should note that GPS has a P/CF ratio of 7.82. 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. GPS's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 10.87. Over the past 52 weeks, GPS's P/CF has been as high as 27.54 and as low as 5.51, with a median of 8.83.

Another great Retail - Apparel and Shoes stock you could consider is Urban Outfitters (URBN - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Urban Outfitters is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 12.46 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 0.69. This compares to its industry's average P/E of 14.83 and average PEG ratio of 0.74.

URBN's price-to-earnings ratio has been as high as 16.59 and as low as 9.12, with a median of 11.46, while its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.92 and as low as 0.51, with a median of 0.64, all within the past year.

Urban Outfitters sports a P/B ratio of 1.82 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 2.99. In the past 52 weeks, URBN's P/B has been as high as 1.86, as low as 1.07, with a median of 1.38.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that The Gap and Urban Outfitters are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, GPS and URBN sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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