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Are These Finance Stocks Undervalued Right Now?

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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.

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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One stock to keep an eye on is First Savings Financial Group (FSFG - Free Report) . FSFG is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 9.89 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 12.66. Over the past 52 weeks, FSFG's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.26 and as low as 5.77, with a median of 8.58.

Another notable valuation metric for FSFG is its P/B ratio of 1.10. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. FSFG's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.14. FSFG's P/B has been as high as 1.19 and as low as 0.86, with a median of 0.99, 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. FSFG has a P/S ratio of 1.03. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.06.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that FSFG has a P/CF ratio of 6.32. 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. FSFG's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 11.69. Over the past year, FSFG's P/CF has been as high as 6.83 and as low as 2.99, with a median of 4.20.

Another great Financial - Savings and Loan stock you could consider is HomeStreet (HMST - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

HomeStreet sports a P/B ratio of 1.53 as well; this compares to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.14. In the past 52 weeks, HMST's P/B has been as high as 1.54, as low as 1.02, with a median of 1.24.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in First Savings Financial Group and HomeStreet's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that FSFG and HMST is an impressive value stock right now.


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HomeStreet, Inc. (HMST) - free report >>

First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (FSFG) - free report >>

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