Is Barrett Business Services (BBSI) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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.

One company to watch right now is Barrett Business Services (BBSI). BBSI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 11.93, which compares to its industry's average of 23.68. Over the past 52 weeks, BBSI's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.72 and as low as -150.87, with a median of 13.29.

Investors will also notice that BBSI has a PEG ratio of 0.85. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. BBSI's industry has an average PEG of 2.25 right now. Over the last 12 months, BBSI's PEG has been as high as 1.48 and as low as -12.57, with a median of 1.11.