Should Value Investors Buy AES (AES) Stock?

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 stock to keep an eye on is AES (AES). AES is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 13.35 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 14.35. AES's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.65 and as low as 9.19, with a median of 11.17, all within the past year.

AES is also sporting a PEG ratio of 1.71. 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. AES's industry currently sports an average PEG of 2.01. AES's PEG has been as high as 1.75 and as low as 1.15, with a median of 1.32, all within the past year.

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. AES has a P/S ratio of 1.1. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.

Finally, investors should note that AES has a P/CF ratio of 5.52. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 7.78. Over the past year, AES's P/CF has been as high as 13.51 and as low as 4.33, with a median of 10.48.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that AES is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, AES sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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