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Should Value Investors Buy Navient (NAVI) Stock?

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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader 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 company value investors might notice is Navient (NAVI). NAVI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.44. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.69. Over the last 12 months, NAVI's Forward P/E has been as high as 5.65 and as low as 1.60, with a median of 3.56.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. NAVI has a P/S ratio of 0.43. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.02.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Navient's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, NAVI looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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