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Are Investors Undervaluing Hancock Holding (HWC) Right Now?

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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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Hancock Holding (HWC - Free Report) . HWC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 12.10 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 13.26. Over the past 52 weeks, HWC's Forward P/E has been as high as 18.44 and as low as 11.64, with a median of 13.45.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is HWC's P/B ratio of 1.46. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 2.02. Over the past year, HWC's P/B has been as high as 1.66 and as low as 1.31, with a median of 1.50.

Finally, we should also recognize that HWC has a P/CF ratio of 12.46. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. HWC's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 17.77. Within the past 12 months, HWC's P/CF has been as high as 15.83 and as low as 11.70, with a median of 13.80.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Hancock Holding's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, HWC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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