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Are These Finance Stocks a Great Value Stocks Right Now?

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Merchants Bancorp (MBIN - Free Report) . MBIN 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 8.10, while its industry has an average P/E of 12.37. Over the last 12 months, MBIN's Forward P/E has been as high as 8.72 and as low as 5.78, with a median of 6.92.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. MBIN has a P/S ratio of 2.92. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.94.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MBIN has a P/CF ratio of 5.96. 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. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 17.65. MBIN's P/CF has been as high as 6.88 and as low as 4.35, with a median of 5.26, all within the past year.

Another great Banks - Northeast stock you could consider is Meridian Bank (MRBK - Free Report) , which is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Additionally, Meridian Bank has a P/B ratio of 1.40 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 1.74. For MRBK, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.45, as low as 0.84, with a median of 1.13 over the past year.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Merchants Bancorp and 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 MBIN and MRBK is an impressive value stock right now.


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