Are Investors Undervaluing Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Right Now?

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

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 use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 Marathon Petroleum (MPC). MPC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value.

Another notable valuation metric for MPC is its P/B ratio of 2.45. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 5.01. Within the past 52 weeks, MPC's P/B has been as high as 2.45 and as low as 1.60, with a median of 2.06.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MPC has a P/CF ratio of 10.51. 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 10.83. MPC's P/CF has been as high as 10.51 and as low as 5.42, with a median of 7.23, all within the past year.

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

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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