Is Crocs the Ultimate Value Investment Opportunity?

Crocs is a very inexpensive stock right now, which could represent an excellent value investment opportunity.

Crocs is a global shoe retailer whose comfortable and inexpensive footwear generates $4 billion in annual sales. Its core Crocs brand is growing 17% internationally and 8% direct-to-consumer. Q3 sales got a boost from "Mini-Crocs" being included in McDonald's $MCD Happy Meals and "Batman Crocs" being sold through a recent partnership with DC Comics (both of which are quite adorable). But its recently-acquired HEYDUDE brand has been struggling. HEYDUDE's sales fell 17% this year, as it's not yet resonating with the younger consumer demographic. Crocs is doubling-down on HEYDUDE's brand by hiring Sydney Sweeney to be the long-term ambassador of its marketing. She's encouraging others to be comfortable in their own shoes, and this feels like a good first step to getting sales back on track. As an investment, Crocs looks very inexpensive. The stock is trading at just 7x earnings and 6.5x free cash flow, but it's generating a 70% return on equity and a 25% return on invested capital. There's a pretty clear disconnect there. Crocs' core business is solid and profitable. Yet the market is pricing it as a fad that's in a permanent decline. If the company's new marketing efforts pay off, this inexpensive stock might be worth snapping your jaws on as one of the stock market's most compelling opportunities. See our complete 7investing coverage on Crocs -- including how well it performs based on the legendary value investor Joel Tillinghast's framework -- at: https://7investing.com/company_name/crocs/…