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Are Investors Undervaluing Meta Financial (CASH) 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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is Meta Financial (CASH - Free Report) . CASH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.64. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.91. Over the past year, CASH's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.26 and as low as 6.58, with a median of 8.64.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. CASH has a P/S ratio of 2.36. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.04.

Finally, we should also recognize that CASH has a P/CF ratio of 9.95. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. CASH's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 10.29. Over the past year, CASH's P/CF has been as high as 10.96 and as low as 6.84, with a median of 9.17.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Meta Financial is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, CASH feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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