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Should Value Investors Buy Meridian Bank (MRBK) Stock?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

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.

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 company to watch right now is Meridian Bank (MRBK - Free Report) . MRBK is currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 7.55, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.67. Over the last 12 months, MRBK's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.01 and as low as 6.32, with a median of 7.70.

We should also highlight that MRBK has a P/B ratio of 1.01. 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. MRBK's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.14. Within the past 52 weeks, MRBK's P/B has been as high as 1.14 and as low as 0.74, with a median of 0.92.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. MRBK has a P/S ratio of 1. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.02.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MRBK has a P/CF ratio of 7.82. 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 12.90. Over the past year, MRBK's P/CF has been as high as 11.06 and as low as 6.12, with a median of 7.57.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Meridian Bank'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, MRBK looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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