Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 5 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Banks industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Why Focus on Undervalued Banks Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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5 Undervalued Banks Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 5 undervalued stocks in the Banks industry for Tuesday, May 07, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Banks industry median.

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Alpha Services and Holdings SA, formerly Alpha Bank SA is a Greece-based banking institution. The Company offers corporate and retail banking, financial services, investment banking and brokerage services, insurance services, real estate management and hotel services. It operates under business segments such as Retail Banking, which offers deposit products, loan facilities, debit and credit cards; Corporate Banking, which offers working capital facilities, corporate loans, and letters of guarantee, leasing products and factoring services; Asset Management/Insurance, which consists of a range of asset management services as well as insurance products; Investment Banking/Treasury, which includes stock exchange, advisory and brokerage services related to capital markets, investment banking facilities, activities of the Dealing Room in the interbank market; South-Eastern Europe, which consists of the Bank's branches and the Group’s subsidiaries, which operate in South-Eastern Europe.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.98 compared to the industry median at 1.86, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 6.47 compared to the industry median at 10.25. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 0.6, when compared to the industry median of 7.5, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 3.55%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 0.90. This could make Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR) more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR)’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Banco Bbva Argentina SA, formerly known as BBVA French Bank, is an Argentina-based banking institution. Through its banking platform, the Bank provides a broad range of financial and non-financial services to both individuals and companies. It manages three business lines: Retail Banking, Small and Medium-Sized Companies and Corporate and Investment Banking (C&IB;). Retail Banking offers checking and savings accounts, time deposits, credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance and investment products, among others. Small and Medium-Sized Companies targets local private-sector companies providing financing products, factoring, checking accounts, time deposits, transactional and payroll services, insurance and investment products, among others. C&IB; offers financial services to corporations and multinational companies, as well as global transaction services, global markets solutions, long term financing, among others. The Bank is active locally, mostly.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR) has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR)’s price-earnings ratio is 12.4 compared to the industry median at 10.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR) less attractive for value investors.

Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR)’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR) more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.90.

You can read more about Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR)’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Discover Financial Services’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Discover Financial Services is a digital banking and payment services company. The Company is a bank holding company, as well as a financial holding company. The Company operates through two segments: Digital Banking and Payment Services. Its Digital Banking segment includes consumer banking and lending products, specifically Discover-branded credit cards issued to individuals on the Discover Network and other consumer banking products and services, including private student loans, personal loans, home loans and deposit products. Its Payment Services segment includes PULSE, Diners Club, and its Network Partners business, which provides payment transaction processing and settlement services on the Discover Global Network. Its processing services covers four functional areas such as card personalization, print/mail, remittance processing and item processing. Its private student loans are primarily available to students attending eligible non-profit undergraduate and graduate schools.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Discover Financial Services has a Value Score of 74, which is considered to be undervalued.

Discover Financial Services’s price-earnings ratio is 14.3 compared to the industry median at 10.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Discover Financial Services less attractive for value investors.

Discover Financial Services’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Discover Financial Services more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.90.

You can read more about Discover Financial Services’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp is the parent company of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California. The Company offers a range of deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, time certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts and online banking services for both business and personal accounts. The Company provides a complement of lending products, including commercial, commercial real estate, real estate construction and others. Its commercial products include term loans, leases, lines of credit and other working capital financing and letters of credit. Its financing products for individuals include automobile financing, lines of credit, residential real estate and others. It also offers a range of specialized services designed for the needs of its commercial accounts. These services include a credit card program for merchants, lockbox and other collection services, account reconciliation, investment sweep, on-line account access, and electronic funds.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 9.4 compared to the industry median at 10.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Farmers & Merchants Bancorp more attractive for value investors.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Farmers & Merchants Bancorp more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.90.

You can read more about Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

FNB Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

F.N.B. Corporation is a bank holding company and financial holding company. The Company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Community Banking segment consists of First National Bank of Pennsylvania (FNBPA), which offers commercial and consumer banking services. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The Wealth Management segment delivers wealth management services to individuals, corporations and retirement funds, as well as existing customers of the Community Banking segment, located primarily within its geographic markets. Its Wealth Management operations are conducted through three subsidiaries of FNBPA. The Insurance segment operates principally through First National Insurance Agency, LLC (FNIA), which is a subsidiary of the Company. FNIA is a full-service insurance brokerage agency.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

FNB Corp has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

FNB Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 11.3 compared to the industry median at 10.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes FNB Corp less attractive for value investors.

FNB Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make FNB Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.90.

You can read more about FNB Corp’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Other Banks Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Banks stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 5 Best Banks Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

• Alpha Services and Holdings SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Banco Bbva Argentina SA (ADR) stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Discover Financial Services stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• FNB Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 undervalued stocks in the Banks industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Additional Resources About Banks Stocks

Want to learn more about Banks stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

• 5 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Tuesday, May 07
• 3 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Monday, May 06
• Which Is a Better Investment, Barclays PLC (ADR) or Huntington Bancshares Incorporated Stock?
• Which Is a Better Investment, Discover Financial Services or Huntington Bancshares Incorporated Stock?

AAII Disclaimer

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