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Should Value Investors Buy First American Financial (FAF) Stock?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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 First American Financial (FAF - Free Report) . FAF is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.94. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 28.03. FAF's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.32 and as low as 10.85, with a median of 12.45, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for FAF is its P/B ratio of 1.28. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 1.60. Within the past 52 weeks, FAF's P/B has been as high as 1.43 and as low as 1.12, with a median of 1.26.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. FAF has a P/S ratio of 1.11. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.16.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in First American Financial'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, FAF looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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