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Is Meridian Bank (MRBK) a Great Value Stock 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.

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 fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.

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.

Meridian Bank (MRBK - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. MRBK is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 9.38, while its industry has an average P/E of 12.82. Over the last 12 months, MRBK's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.53 and as low as 6.33, with a median of 7.50.

Another notable valuation metric for MRBK is its P/B ratio of 1.38. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. MRBK's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.71. MRBK's P/B has been as high as 1.44 and as low as 0.84, with a median of 1.12, over the past year.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. MRBK has a P/S ratio of 1.29. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.89.

Finally, we should also recognize that MRBK has a P/CF ratio of 6.68. 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 17.33. MRBK's P/CF has been as high as 7.47 and as low as 4.54, with a median of 5.32, all within the past year.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Meridian Bank'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 MRBK is an impressive value stock right now.


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