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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

El Pollo Loco (LOCO) is a stock many investors are watching right now. LOCO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 12.16, while its industry has an average P/E of 25.09. LOCO's Forward P/E has been as high as 16.11 and as low as 11.70, with a median of 13.99, all within the past year.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. LOCO has a P/S ratio of 0.73. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 0.74.

Finally, investors should note that LOCO has a P/CF ratio of 8.42. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 21.91. Over the past 52 weeks, LOCO's P/CF has been as high as 10.11 and as low as 6.06, with a median of 8.17.

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

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El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (LOCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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