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Is First National (FXNC) 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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

First National (FXNC - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. FXNC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 7.94 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 10.29. Over the past year, FXNC's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.27 and as low as 6.44, with a median of 9.70.

We should also highlight that FXNC has a P/B ratio of 0.83. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to 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 1.72. Over the past 12 months, FXNC's P/B has been as high as 1.21 and as low as 0.80, with a median of 0.96.

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. FXNC has a P/S ratio of 1.31. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.77.

Finally, our model also underscores that FXNC has a P/CF ratio of 8.86. 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 14.52. Over the past year, FXNC's P/CF has been as high as 11.89 and as low as 4.88, with a median of 6.76.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in First National's strong Value grade, but they help show that the stock is likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, FXNC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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