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Is Colony Bankcorp (CBAN) 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, 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.

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 value investors might notice is Colony Bankcorp (CBAN - Free Report) . CBAN is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 8.64. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 10.55. Over the past year, CBAN's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.95 and as low as 6.81, with a median of 7.80.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is CBAN's P/B ratio of 0.90. 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 company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.88. Over the past year, CBAN's P/B has been as high as 1.06 and as low as 0.64, with a median of 0.76.

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. CBAN has a P/S ratio of 1.44. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.94.

Finally, we should also recognize that CBAN has a P/CF ratio of 6.99. 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 company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 11.52. Over the past 52 weeks, CBAN's P/CF has been as high as 7.88 and as low as 5.12, with a median of 5.92.

Another great Banks - Southeast stock you could consider is Hilltop Holdings (HTH - Free Report) , which is a # 1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Additionally, Hilltop Holdings has a P/B ratio of 1.03 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 1.88. For HTH, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.09, as low as 0.84, with a median of 0.94 over the past year.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Colony Bankcorp and Hilltop Holdings'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 CBAN and HTH is an impressive value stock right now.


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