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Are Investors Undervaluing Bank of Commerce (BOCH) Right Now?

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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, 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.

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 company value investors might notice is Bank of Commerce . BOCH is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 11.46, which compares to its industry's average of 13.57. BOCH's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.78 and as low as 6.54, with a median of 11.18, all within the past year.

We also note that BOCH holds a PEG ratio of 1.58. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. BOCH's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.68. BOCH's PEG has been as high as 1.64 and as low as 1.45, with a median of 1.55, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that BOCH has a P/B ratio of 0.74. 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 1.57. Within the past 52 weeks, BOCH's P/B has been as high as 1.29 and as low as 0.61, with a median of 1.15.

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. BOCH has a P/S ratio of 1.92. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.26.

Finally, our model also underscores that BOCH has a P/CF ratio of 8.14. 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 company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 11.93. Within the past 12 months, BOCH's P/CF has been as high as 12.52 and as low as 6.58, with a median of 10.74.

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

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