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Are Investors Undervaluing Chemung Financial (CHMG) Right Now?

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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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

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.

One stock to keep an eye on is Chemung Financial (CHMG - Free Report) . CHMG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.87. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 11.37. Over the last 12 months, CHMG's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.07 and as low as 9.99, with a median of 11.22.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is CHMG's P/B ratio of 1.34. 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 stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.63. Over the past 12 months, CHMG's P/B has been as high as 1.68 and as low as 1.18, with a median of 1.37.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's 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. CHMG has a P/S ratio of 2.37. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.88.

Finally, our model also underscores that CHMG has a P/CF ratio of 8.39. 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 stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.72. Over the past year, CHMG's P/CF has been as high as 17.64 and as low as 7.64, with a median of 15.12.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Chemung Financial is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, CHMG feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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