Should Value Investors Buy Costamare (CMRE) 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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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.

Costamare (CMRE) is a stock many investors are watching right now. CMRE is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 2.41, while its industry has an average P/E of 3.85. Over the last 12 months, CMRE's Forward P/E has been as high as 5.30 and as low as 2.41, with a median of 3.28.

We should also highlight that CMRE has a P/B ratio of 0.65. 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 stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.13. Over the past year, CMRE's P/B has been as high as 1.32 and as low as 0.65, with a median of 0.95.

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. CMRE has a P/S ratio of 1.11. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.12.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that CMRE has a P/CF ratio of 1.74. 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. CMRE's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 3. Over the past 52 weeks, CMRE's P/CF has been as high as 5.84 and as low as 1.74, with a median of 2.81.

If you're looking for another solid Transportation - Shipping value stock, take a look at Safe Bulkers (SB). SB is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Furthermore, Safe Bulkers holds a P/B ratio of 0.52 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 1.13. SB's P/B has been as high as 1.11, as low as 0.51, with a median of 0.70 over the past 12 months.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Costamare and Safe Bulkers's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that CMRE and SB is an impressive value stock right now.

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