Are These Basic Materials Stocks a Great Value Stocks Right Now?

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.

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.

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.

SSAB (SSAAY) is a stock many investors are watching right now. SSAAY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.72. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 5.10. Over the past year, SSAAY's Forward P/E has been as high as 20.57 and as low as 3.72, with a median of 7.13.

Another notable valuation metric for SSAAY is its P/B ratio of 0.77. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. SSAAY's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.62. Over the past year, SSAAY's P/B has been as high as 0.89 and as low as 0.60, with a median of 0.76.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that SSAAY has a P/CF ratio of 3.98. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. SSAAY's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 10.72. Over the past 52 weeks, SSAAY's P/CF has been as high as 14.92 and as low as 3.27, with a median of 6.67.

Another great Steel - Producers stock you could consider is Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (USNZY), which is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Shares of Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais are currently trading at a forward earnings multiple of 2.31 and a PEG ratio of 0.08 compared to its industry's P/E and PEG ratios of 5.10 and 0.41, respectively.

USNZY's price-to-earnings ratio has been as high as 14.10 and as low as 2.31, with a median of 6.58, while its PEG ratio has been as high as 0.48 and as low as 0.08, with a median of 0.21, all within the past year.

Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais sports a P/B ratio of 0.34 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.62. In the past 52 weeks, USNZY's P/B has been as high as 0.71, as low as 0.28, with a median of 0.46.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that SSAB and Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais are likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, SSAAY and USNZY feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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