Are Investors Undervaluing Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) 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.One stock to keep an eye on is Healthcare Services Group (HCSG). HCSG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 17.48. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 24.96. Over the past year, HCSG's Forward P/E has been as high as 19.66 and as low as 11.54, with a median of 14.65. Another valuation metric that we should highlight is HCSG's P/B ratio of 2.45. 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 company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 4.72. Within the past 52 weeks, HCSG's P/B has been as high as 2.45 and as low as 1.33, with a median of 1.74.Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. HCSG has a P/S ratio of 0.65. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.91.Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Healthcare Services Group is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, HCSG sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (HCSG): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks