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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.

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 tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 company value investors might notice is MidWestOne Financial Group (MOFG - Free Report) . MOFG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 9.95 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 13.74. MOFG's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.77 and as low as 7.33, with a median of 9.49, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for MOFG is its P/B ratio of 1. 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. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 2.25. Within the past 52 weeks, MOFG's P/B has been as high as 1.03 and as low as 0.77, with a median of 0.93.

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. MOFG has a P/S ratio of 2.35. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.16.

Finally, investors should note that MOFG has a P/CF ratio of 7.38. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 16.59. Within the past 12 months, MOFG's P/CF has been as high as 12.42 and as low as 6.28, with a median of 7.30.

Wintrust Financial (WTFC - Free Report) may be another strong Banks - Midwest stock to add to your shortlist. WTFC is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.

Wintrust Financial is trading at a forward earnings multiple of 16.68 at the moment, with a PEG ratio of 0.98. This compares to its industry's average P/E of 13.74 and average PEG ratio of 0.56.


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