Are Investors Undervaluing BanColombia (CIB) Right Now?

CIB

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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 stock to keep an eye on is BanColombia (CIB - Free Report) . CIB 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 4.74. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 7.80. Over the past 52 weeks, CIB's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.60 and as low as 4.64, with a median of 8.29.

Investors should also note that CIB holds a PEG ratio of 0.27. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. CIB's industry currently sports an average PEG of 0.48. Within the past year, CIB's PEG has been as high as 0.63 and as low as 0.27, with a median of 0.44.

We should also highlight that CIB has a P/B ratio of 0.74. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. CIB's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.22. Over the past 12 months, CIB's P/B has been as high as 1.14 and as low as 0.72, with a median of 0.86.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. CIB has a P/S ratio of 1.15. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.3.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that CIB has a P/CF ratio of 3.84. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.89. Over the past year, CIB's P/CF has been as high as 11.25 and as low as 3.76, with a median of 6.91.

Ita CorpBanca may be another strong Banks - Foreign stock to add to your shortlist. ITCB is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

Ita CorpBanca sports a P/B ratio of 0.23 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.22. In the past 52 weeks, ITCB's P/B has been as high as 0.44, as low as 0.22, with a median of 0.30.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that BanColombia and Ita CorpBanca are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, CIB and ITCB sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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