Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is PeapackGladstone Financial (PGC) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore 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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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.

PeapackGladstone Financial (PGC - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. PGC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 9.17. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.65. PGC's Forward P/E has been as high as 17.68 and as low as 7.84, with a median of 9.67, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that PGC has a P/B ratio of 0.82. 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 attractive against its industry's average P/B of 1.12. Within the past 52 weeks, PGC's P/B has been as high as 1.09 and as low as 0.70, with a median of 0.83.

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 preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. PGC has a P/S ratio of 1.15. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.94.

Finally, our model also underscores that PGC has a P/CF ratio of 11.99. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 12.51. Within the past 12 months, PGC's P/CF has been as high as 14.97 and as low as 10.12, with a median of 11.97.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in PeapackGladstone Financial'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, PGC looks like an impressive value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


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


Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (PGC) - free report >>

Published in