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Is Cathay Pacific Airways (CPCAY) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 value investors might notice is Cathay Pacific Airways (CPCAY - Free Report) . CPCAY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 8.84, which compares to its industry's average of 11.51. Over the past year, CPCAY's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.84 and as low as 5.56, with a median of 7.65.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is CPCAY's P/B ratio of 1.36. 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. CPCAY's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.66. Over the past year, CPCAY's P/B has been as high as 1.51 and as low as 0.81, with a median of 1.16.

Investors could also keep in mind LATAM Airlines Group (LTM - Free Report) , another Transportation - Airline stock with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and Value grade of A.

LATAM Airlines Group is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 8.43 while its PEG ratio sits at 0.38. Both of the company's metrics compare favorably to its industry's average P/E of 11.51 and average PEG ratio of 0.71.

LTM's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.37 and as low as 6.73, with a median of 8.43. During the same time period, its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.85, as low as 0.38, with a median of 0.59.

LATAM Airlines Group sports a P/B ratio of 14.37 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 3.66. In the past 52 weeks, LTM's P/B has been as high as 15.24, as low as 8.79, with a median of 12.18.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Cathay Pacific Airways and LATAM Airlines Group are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, CPCAY and LTM sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (LTM) - free report >>

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