Is PennyMac Financial (PFSI) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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 PennyMac Financial (PFSI). PFSI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 6.44, which compares to its industry's average of 8.40. Over the past year, PFSI's Forward P/E has been as high as 8.53 and as low as 6.41, with a median of 7.52.

Investors will also notice that PFSI has a PEG ratio of 0.64. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. PFSI's industry has an average PEG of 1 right now. Over the past 52 weeks, PFSI's PEG has been as high as 0.85 and as low as 0.64, with a median of 0.75.

Another notable valuation metric for PFSI is its P/B ratio of 1.45. 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. PFSI's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.15. Over the past year, PFSI's P/B has been as high as 1.60 and as low as 0.95, with a median of 1.21.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that PFSI has a P/CF ratio of 3.10. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 11.24. Within the past 12 months, PFSI's P/CF has been as high as 4.73 and as low as 2.90, with a median of 3.51.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in PennyMac Financial'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 PFSI is an impressive value stock right now.

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