Here are three stocks with buy rank and strong value characteristics for investors to consider today, October 4th: Ecopetrol EC: This Colombia-based petroleum company which focuses on identifying opportunities primarily within the eastern Llanos Basin of Colombia,carries a Zacks Rank #1(Strong Buy) and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increasing 9.8% over the last 60 days.Ecopetrol S.A. Price and Consensus Ecopetrol S.A. price-consensus-chart | Ecopetrol S.A. QuoteEcopetrol has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 2.53 compared with 3.30 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A.Ecopetrol S.A. PE Ratio (TTM) Ecopetrol S.A. pe-ratio-ttm | Ecopetrol S.A. QuoteBoise Cascade BCC: This company whichoperates as a wood products manufacturer and building materials distributor with operations primarily in the United States and Canada,carries a Zacks Rank #1 and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings increasing 2.1% over the last 60 days.Boise Cascade, L.L.C. Price and Consensus Boise Cascade, L.L.C. price-consensus-chart | Boise Cascade, L.L.C. QuoteBoise Cascade has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 2.99 compared with 20.33 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A.Boise Cascade, L.L.C. PE Ratio (TTM) Boise Cascade, L.L.C. pe-ratio-ttm | Boise Cascade, L.L.C. QuoteBuilders FirstSource BLDR: This company is the largest supplier of building materials, manufactured components and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, re-modelers and consumers, carries a Zacks Rank #1, and has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 8.3% over the last 60 days.Builders FirstSource, Inc. Price and Consensus Builders FirstSource, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Builders FirstSource, Inc. QuoteBuilders FirstSource has a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 3.80 compared with 12.10 for the industry. The company possesses a Value Score of A.Builders FirstSource, Inc. PE Ratio (TTM) Builders FirstSource, Inc. pe-ratio-ttm | Builders FirstSource, Inc. Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here. Learn more about the Value score and how it is calculated here. Special Report: The Top 5 IPOs for Your Portfolio Today, you have a chance to get in on the ground floor of one of the best investment opportunities of the year. As the world continues to benefit from an ever-evolving internet, a handful of innovative tech companies are on the brink of reaping immense rewards - and you can put yourself in a position to cash in. One is set to disrupt the online communication industry. Brilliantly designed for creating online communities, this stock is poised to explode when made public. With the strength of our economy and record amounts of cash flooding into IPOs, you don’t want to miss this opportunity.>>See Zacks’ Hottest IPOs NowWant 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 Ecopetrol S.A. (EC): Free Stock Analysis Report Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR): Free Stock Analysis Report Boise Cascade, L.L.C. (BCC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research