Zacks.com featured highlights StoneCo, Carriage Services, Associated Banc-Corp and Pfizer

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – April 29, 2025 – Stocks in this week’s article are StoneCo Ltd. STNE, Carriage Services, Inc. CSV, Associated Banc-Corp ASB and Pfizer Inc. PFE.4 Top Value Stocks to Invest in as U.S. Trade Talks UnfoldThe U.S. stock market extended its winning streak on Friday, rising for the fourth consecutive trading session, propelled by robust performance in the technology sector and progress in trade talks. The S&P 500 advanced 0.7% to 5,525.21, while the Nasdaq Composite surged 1.3% to 17,382.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a modest increase of 0.05% to 40,113.50.Investor sentiment was buoyed by strong quarterly earnings reports and speculation that current tariff policies might see revisions. Earlier this month, President Trump announced a 90-day hiatus on broad "reciprocal" tariffs, initiating negotiations with several countries.Despite recent gains, uncertainty surrounding tariffs remains a key factor influencing the future economic outlook. In this environment, value stocks could emerge as an attractive investment choice. Often priced below their intrinsic value, these stocks offer a margin of safety that appeals particularly during periods of market uncertainty.When evaluating value stocks, one of the most effective valuation metrics is the Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) ratio. Companies like StoneCo Ltd., Carriage Services, Inc., Associated Banc-Corp and Pfizer Inc. boast a low P/CF ratio. The P/CF ratio evaluates the market price of a stock relative to the amount of cash flow that the company is generating on a per-share basis — the lower the number, the better.Price to Cash Flow Reflects Financial HealthYou must be wondering why we consider the P/CF valuation metric when the most widely used valuation metric is Price/Earnings (or P/E). An important factor that makes P/CF a highly dependable metric is that operating cash flow adds back non-cash charges such as depreciation and amortization to net income, truly diagnosing a company’s financial health.Analysts caution that a company’s earnings are subject to accounting estimates and management manipulation. Then again, cash flow is quite reliable. Net cash flow unveils how much money a company generates and how effectively management is deploying the same.Positive cash flow indicates an increase in the company’s liquid assets. This gives the company the means to settle debt, meet its expenses, reinvest in the business, endure downturns and finally undertake shareholder-friendly moves. Negative cash flow implies a decline in the company’s liquidity, which, in turn, lowers its flexibility to support these endeavors.What’s the Best Value Investing Strategy?An investment decision based solely on the P/CF metric may not yield the desired results. To identify stocks that are trading at a discount, you should expand your search criteria and also consider the price-to-book ratio, price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales ratio. Adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a Value Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to even better results as these eliminate the chance of falling into a value trap.Here are four of the 14 value stocks that qualified the screening:Stone, a leading provider of financial technology and software solutions, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.8%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Stone’s current financial year sales suggests growth of 4.1% from the year-ago period. STNE has a Value Score of B. Shares of STNE have fallen 15.1% in the past year.Carriage Services, a leading provider of funeral and cemetery services and merchandise in the United States, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 27.5%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Carriage Services’ current financial year sales and earnings per share (EPS) suggests growth of 0.9% and 21.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. CSV has a Value Score of B. Shares of CSV have rallied 53.8% in the past year. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)Associated Banc-Corp, the largest bank holding company based in Wisconsin, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.2%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Associated Banc-Corp’s current financial year sales and EPS implies growth of 9.9% and 2.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ASB has a Value Score of B. Shares of ASB have risen 7.5% in the past year.Pfizer, which develops, manufactures, markets, distributes and sells biopharmaceutical products, carries a Zacks Rank #2. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 44.2%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Pfizer’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests a decline of 0.2% and 3.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Pfizer has a Value Score of A. Shares of PFE have fallen 5% in the past year.You can get the rest of the stock on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and back test them first before taking the investment plunge.The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2456545/4-top-value-stocks-to-invest-in-as-us-global-trade-talks-unfoldFollow us on Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/zacksresearchJoin us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearchZacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.Contact: Jim GiaquintoCompany: Zacks.comPhone: 312-265-9268Email: pr@zacks.comVisit: https://www.zacks.com/Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for 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 Pfizer Inc. (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report Carriage Services, Inc. (CSV): Free Stock Analysis Report Associated Banc-Corp (ASB): Free Stock Analysis Report StoneCo Ltd. (STNE): 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