Is Lithia Motors (LAD) Stock Undervalued 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, 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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One company to watch right now is Lithia Motors (LAD). LAD is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

We also note that LAD holds a PEG ratio of 0.99. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. LAD's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.55. Over the last 12 months, LAD's PEG has been as high as 1.53 and as low as 0.49, with a median of 0.76.

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. LAD has a P/S ratio of 0.24. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.25.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Lithia Motors is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, LAD feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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