Should Value Investors Buy Matson (MATX) Stock?

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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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company value investors might notice is Matson (MATX). MATX is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 14.24, while its industry has an average P/E of 17.92. MATX's Forward P/E has been as high as 16.22 and as low as 11.68, with a median of 13.78, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is MATX's P/B ratio of 1.91. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 3.28. Within the past 52 weeks, MATX's P/B has been as high as 2 and as low as 1.25, with a median of 1.67.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MATX has a P/CF ratio of 7.60. 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. MATX's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 12.43. Over the past year, MATX's P/CF has been as high as 7.94 and as low as 4.99, with a median of 6.88.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Matson'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 MATX is an impressive value stock right now.

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