Are Investors Undervaluing Anixter International (AXE) Right Now?

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. 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 company value investors might notice is Anixter International (AXE). AXE is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.26. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.95. Over the last 12 months, AXE's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.69 and as low as 7.82, with a median of 9.50.

Investors will also notice that AXE has a PEG ratio of 1.03. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. AXE's industry has an average PEG of 1.11 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, AXE's PEG has been as high as 1.46 and as low as 0.98, with a median of 1.19.

Finally, we should also recognize that AXE has a P/CF ratio of 7.14. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.55. Over the past year, AXE's P/CF has been as high as 14.21 and as low as 7.14, with a median of 8.87.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Anixter International'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 AXE is an impressive value stock right now.