Should Value Investors Buy Allianz (ALIZY) Stock?

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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 value investors might notice is Allianz (ALIZY). ALIZY is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.91, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.90. Over the past 52 weeks, ALIZY's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.69 and as low as -37.79, with a median of 9.13.

Another notable valuation metric for ALIZY is its P/B ratio of 1.31. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 2.82. Over the past year, ALIZY's P/B has been as high as 1.33 and as low as 0.77, with a median of 0.99.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. ALIZY has a P/S ratio of 0.51. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.77.

If you're looking for another solid Insurance - Multi line value stock, take a look at Radian Group (RDN). RDN is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Shares of Radian Group currently holds a Forward P/E ratio of 5.76, and its PEG ratio is 1.15. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 9.90 and 1.63.

Over the past year, RDN's P/E has been as high as 7.75, as low as 5.53, with a median of 6.50; its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.55, as low as 1.11, with a median of 2.20 during the same time period.

Additionally, Radian Group has a P/B ratio of 0.84 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 2.82. For RDN, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.04, as low as 0.76, with a median of 0.92 over the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Allianz and Radian Group are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ALIZY and RDN sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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