Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Should Value Investors Buy Isabella Bank (ISBA) Stock?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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.

One stock to keep an eye on is Isabella Bank (ISBA - Free Report) . ISBA is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 9.63. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.97. ISBA's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.49 and as low as 6.63, with a median of 7.73, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that ISBA has a P/B ratio of 0.71. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus 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 1.35. Within the past 52 weeks, ISBA's P/B has been as high as 0.88 and as low as 0.66, with a median of 0.73.

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. ISBA has a P/S ratio of 1.45. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.82.

Finally, our model also underscores that ISBA has a P/CF ratio of 7.87. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 13.60. Over the past year, ISBA's P/CF has been as high as 8.14 and as low as 5.74, with a median of 6.97.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Isabella Bank'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 ISBA is an impressive value stock right now.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Isabella Bank Corporation (ISBA) - free report >>

Published in