For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – May 19, 2017 – Zacks Value Investor is a podcast hosted weekly by Zacks Stock Strategist Tracey Ryniec. Every week, Tracey will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life. To listen to the podcast, click here: ( https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/260964/value-stock-or-value... ) Value Stock or Value Trap? Welcome to Episode #42 of the Value Investor Podcast Every week, Tracey Ryniec, the editor of Zacks Value Investor portfolio service , shares some of her top value investing tips and stock picks. This week, as promised, she tackles the difference between value stocks and value traps. How can you tell one from the other? Tracey says the key isn’t just in finding the cheapest stocks. It’s really all about earnings. A true value stock will be cheap and will still have rising earnings. Just because you’re a value investor, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t demand earnings growth as well. The value traps usually have declining earnings estimates, or even year-over-year earnings declines. The difference between the two is best shown through examples. Value Trap or Value Stock? 1. Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR – Free Report ) has a forward P/E of just 8. But the rental car market has been struggling. Tracey looks into the earnings estimates to see if there is a buying opportunity there or not. 2. General Motors (NYSE: GM – Free Report ) is super cheap with a forward P/E of 5.4. Tracey knows that many people love it. Big fund managers were even adding to their positions in the first quarter. But how does its earnings growth look? 3. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD – Free Report ) was the darling of many investors a few years ago. But shares have since slumped and it now trades with a forward P/E of 8.4. Is it a value or a trap? 4. LGI Homes (NASDAQ: LGIH – Free Report ) is in the hot home construction business. Shares look cheap, with a forward P/E of 8.5. Do investors also get earnings growth? 5. Micron (NASDAQ: MU – Free Report ) has been one of the hottest stocks of the last year. How is it possible it could also be a value? Yes, it’s still cheap. It has a forward P/E of just 7.9. But what about its earnings? There are also some industries that have seen sharp sell offs in their shares, but that doesn’t mean they’re a value. Tracey looked into the fertilizer stocks including Potash. Are they value stocks or value traps right now? She also checked in on the railcar makers like Trinity Industries, which have been value traps over the past year. Beware of the cyclicals. It’s easy to get fooled. What else should you know about finding real value stocks and avoiding value traps? Tune into this week’s podcast to find out more. Want more value investing insights from Tracey? Check out her weekly Value Investor service to receive more in-depth analysis on value companies and see which stocks Tracey thinks are the best bargains now. It holds between 20 and 25 value stocks for the long haul. Click here to learn more. Tracey Ryniec is the Value Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. She is also the Editor of the Insider Trader and Value Investor services. You can follow her on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/traceyryniec!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); and she also hosts the Zacks Market Edge Podcast on iTunes. About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. 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Get the full Report on CAR - FREE Get the full Report on GM - FREE Get the full Report on GILD - FREE Get the full Report on LGIH - FREE Get the full Report on MU - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Re... Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/performance Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR): Free Stock Analysis Report General Motors Company (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD): Free Stock Analysis Report LGI Homes, Inc. (LGIH): Free Stock Analysis Report Micron Technology, Inc. (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.