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Is FS Bancorp (FSBW) Stock Undervalued 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, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 company to watch right now is FS Bancorp (FSBW - Free Report) . FSBW is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 7.18, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.78. Over the past 52 weeks, FSBW's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.01 and as low as 6.99, with a median of 8.62.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is FSBW's P/B ratio of 1.01. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against 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 1.53. Over the past 12 months, FSBW's P/B has been as high as 1.26 and as low as 0.94, with a median of 1.04.

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. FSBW has a P/S ratio of 1.73. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.78.

Finally, we should also recognize that FSBW has a P/CF ratio of 5. 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 9.31. FSBW's P/CF has been as high as 5.62 and as low as 4.66, with a median of 5.17, all within the past year.

Investors could also keep in mind RBB Bancorp (RBB - Free Report) , an Banks - West stock with a Zacks Rank of # 2 (Buy) and Value grade of A.

RBB Bancorp also has a P/B ratio of 0.92 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.53. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 1.20, as low as 0.83, with a median of 0.95.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in FS Bancorp and RBB Bancorp'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 FSBW and RBB is an impressive value stock right now.


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