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Is BCB Bancorp (BCBP) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

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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.

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.

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 value investors might notice is BCB Bancorp (BCBP - Free Report) . BCBP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 10.01, while its industry has an average P/E of 10.41. Over the past year, BCBP's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.23 and as low as 8.23, with a median of 10.15.

We also note that BCBP holds a PEG ratio of 1.01. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. BCBP's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.14. BCBP's PEG has been as high as 1.12 and as low as 0.82, with a median of 1.02, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that BCBP has a P/B ratio of 1.08. 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 1.37. Within the past 52 weeks, BCBP's P/B has been as high as 1.24 and as low as 0.92, with a median of 1.08.

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 prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. BCBP has a P/S ratio of 1.67. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.67.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that BCBP has a P/CF ratio of 10.71. 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. BCBP's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 11.90. BCBP's P/CF has been as high as 17.06 and as low as 9.66, with a median of 11.91, all within the past year.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that BCB Bancorp is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, BCBP sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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