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Is CNB Financial (CCNE) 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.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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 company to watch right now is CNB Financial (CCNE - Free Report) . CCNE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 7.24, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.21. CCNE's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.07 and as low as 7.24, with a median of 8.14, all within the past year.

Another notable valuation metric for CCNE is its P/B ratio of 1.14. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 1.29. Over the past year, CCNE's P/B has been as high as 1.27 and as low as 1.01, with a median of 1.15.

Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. CCNE has a P/S ratio of 1.92. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.7.

Finally, investors should note that CCNE has a P/CF ratio of 7.46. 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 company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 13.50. Over the past 52 weeks, CCNE's P/CF has been as high as 12.32 and as low as 7.44, with a median of 9.96.

Another great Banks - Northeast stock you could consider is MainStreet Bank (MNSB - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Furthermore, MainStreet Bank holds a P/B ratio of 1.16 and its industry's price-to-book ratio is 1.29. MNSB's P/B has been as high as 1.25, as low as 1.07, with a median of 1.17 over the past 12 months.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that CNB Financial and MainStreet Bank are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, CCNE and MNSB sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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