Is IBM (IBM) a Great Value Stock 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 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 company to watch right now is IBM (IBM). IBM is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. IBM has a P/S ratio of 1.64. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.09.

Finally, our model also underscores that IBM has a P/CF ratio of 9.71. 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. IBM's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 10.42. Over the past year, IBM's P/CF has been as high as 9.82 and as low as 8.40, with a median of 9.19.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in IBM's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that IBM is an impressive value stock right now.

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