Is United Fire Group (UFCS) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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.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.On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.One company to watch right now is United Fire Group (UFCS). UFCS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.16. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 27.32. Over the last 12 months, UFCS's Forward P/E has been as high as 20.43 and as low as 9.98, with a median of 11.30. Another notable valuation metric for UFCS is its P/B ratio of 0.94. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with 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 1.48. Over the past year, UFCS's P/B has been as high as 1.02 and as low as 0.62, with a median of 0.87.Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. UFCS has a P/S ratio of 0.67. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.28.Finally, investors should note that UFCS has a P/CF ratio of 7.83. 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. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 12.25. Over the past year, UFCS's P/CF has been as high as 13.42 and as low as 6.53, with a median of 9.51.These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that United Fire Group is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, UFCS feels like a great value stock at the moment.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>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 United Fire Group, Inc (UFCS): 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