Is Civista Bancshares (CIVB) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

MOFG CIVB

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

One company to watch right now is Civista Bancshares (CIVB - Free Report) . CIVB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.28. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 10.07. CIVB's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.57 and as low as 8.20, with a median of 10.61, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for CIVB is its P/B ratio of 0.95. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.89. Within the past 52 weeks, CIVB's P/B has been as high as 1.12 and as low as 0.93, with a median of 1.03.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. CIVB has a P/S ratio of 2.32. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.86.

Finally, we should also recognize that CIVB has a P/CF ratio of 9.75. 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. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 18.33. Over the past 52 weeks, CIVB's P/CF has been as high as 11.40 and as low as 9.11, with a median of 9.98.

Another great Banks - Midwest stock you could consider is MidWestOne Financial Group (MOFG - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Additionally, MidWestOne Financial Group has a P/B ratio of 0.90 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 1.89. For MOFG, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.04, as low as 0.83, with a median of 0.94 over the past year.

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

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