Is Centene (CNC) 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.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 Centene (CNC). CNC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 12.55, which compares to its industry's average of 17.46. Over the last 12 months, CNC's Forward P/E has been as high as 14.43 and as low as 8.87, with a median of 11.72.

Investors will also notice that CNC has a PEG ratio of 0.86. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. CNC's industry currently sports an average PEG of 1.32. Within the past year, CNC's PEG has been as high as 1 and as low as 0.62, with a median of 0.85.

Another notable valuation metric for CNC is its P/B ratio of 1.58. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 3.75. Over the past year, CNC's P/B has been as high as 2.23 and as low as 1.34, with a median of 1.77.

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 popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. CNC has a P/S ratio of 0.46. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.63.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Centene's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, CNC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.

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