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Is Associated Banc-Corp (ASB) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 Associated Banc-Corp (ASB - Free Report) . ASB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value.

We also note that ASB holds a PEG ratio of 1.96. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. ASB's industry currently sports an average PEG of 2.03. ASB's PEG has been as high as 2.24 and as low as 0.78, with a median of 1.61, all within the past year.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is ASB's P/B ratio of 0.71. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.41. ASB's P/B has been as high as 0.96 and as low as 0.47, with a median of 0.60, over the past year.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. ASB has a P/S ratio of 1.77. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.36.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that ASB has a P/CF ratio of 5.84. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. ASB's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.36. Over the past year, ASB's P/CF has been as high as 7.75 and as low as 3.77, with a median of 4.93.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Associated Banc-Corp is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, ASB sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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