Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 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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6 Undervalued Banks Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the Banks industry for Wednesday, September 18, 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.

Sierra Bancorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Sierra Bancorp is a bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra (the Bank). The Bank is a California state-chartered bank, which offers a range of retail and commercial banking services via branch offices located throughout California’s South San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast, Ventura County, and neighboring communities. It provides multiple account access options to meet both new and existing customer needs: an online account opening platform; online banking with bill-pay and mobile banking capabilities; online lending solutions for consumers and small businesses; a customer service center, and an automated telephone banking system. Its lending activities cover real estate, commercial (including small business), mortgage warehouse, agricultural, and consumer loans. It offers a range of deposit products and services for individuals and businesses, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market demand accounts, time deposits, retirement accounts, and sweep accounts.

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.

Sierra Bancorp has a Value Score of 73, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Sierra Bancorp’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.54 compared to the industry median at 2.05, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Sierra Bancorp’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Sierra Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 12.24 compared to the industry median at 12.13. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Sierra Bancorp less attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Sierra Bancorp’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 4.6, when compared to the industry median of 6.5, 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. Sierra Bancorp’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 2.99%. 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. Sierra Bancorp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.00. This could make Sierra Bancorp less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Sierra Bancorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Sierra Bancorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 14.15. This could make Sierra Bancorp less attractive because the higher P/FCF ratio indicates that Sierra Bancorp is undervalued. The P/FCF ratio metric can also be viewed over a long-term time frame to see if the company's cash flow to share price value is generally improving or worsening.

Citizens Community Bancorp Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company for Citizens Community Federal N.A. (the Bank). The Bank is a federally chartered national bank serving customers in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Its primary markets include the Chippewa Valley Region in Wisconsin, the Twin Cities and Mankato markets in Minnesota, and various rural communities around these areas. The Bank offers traditional community banking services to businesses, agricultural operators and consumers, including one-to-four family residential mortgages. The Bank offers a variety of loan products including commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial (C&I;) loans, agricultural real estate loans, agricultural operating loans, residential mortgages, home equity lines-of-credit and consumer loans. It maintains a portfolio of investments, consisting primarily of mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, United States Government sponsored agency securities and corporate debt securities.

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.

Citizens Community Bancorp Inc. has a Value Score of 92, which is considered to be undervalued.

Citizens Community Bancorp Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 10.1 compared to the industry median at 12.1. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Citizens Community Bancorp Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Citizens Community Bancorp Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Citizens Community Bancorp Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Citizens Community Bancorp Inc.’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.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company of Great Southern Bank (the Bank). The Company conducts its business as a financial holding company. Through the Bank and subsidiaries of the Bank, the Company primarily offers a variety of banking and banking-related services. The Bank offers a range of banking services through its 89 banking centers located in southern and central Missouri; the Kansas City, Missouri area; the St. Louis area; eastern Kansas; northwestern Arkansas; the Minneapolis area and eastern, western and central Iowa. The Company operates through a single segment, banking operation. The banking operation segment is principally engaged in the business of originating residential and commercial real estate loans, construction loans, commercial business loans and consumer loans and funding these loans by attracting deposits from the general public, accepting brokered deposits and borrowing from the Federal Home Loan Bank and others.

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.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. has a Value Score of 64, which is considered to be undervalued.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.8 compared to the industry median at 12.1. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.’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.

Metrocity Bankshares Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

MetroCity Bankshares, Inc. is a bank holding company. It operates through its banking subsidiary, Metro City Bank (the Bank), which is a Georgia state-chartered commercial bank. It offers a suite of loan and deposit products. The Bank operates over 20 full-service branch locations in multi-ethnic communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia. It offers customary banking services, such as consumer and commercial checking accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial and consumer loans, including single family residential loans, money transfers and a variety of other banking services. It offers traditional depository products, including checking, savings, money market and certificates of deposits. It also offers a full suite of online banking solutions, including access to account balances, online transfers, online bill payment and electronic delivery of customer statements, mobile banking solutions for iPhone and Android phones.

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.

Metrocity Bankshares Inc has a Value Score of 61, which is considered to be undervalued.

Metrocity Bankshares Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 14.6 compared to the industry median at 12.1. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Metrocity Bankshares Inc less attractive for value investors.

Metrocity Bankshares Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Metrocity Bankshares Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Metrocity Bankshares Inc’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.

Origin Bancorp Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Origin Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company provides a range of financial services and operates more than 60 locations in Dallas/Fort Worth, East Texas, Houston, North Louisiana and Mississippi. The Company is focused on delivering a range of relationship-driven financial services tailored to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, municipalities and retail clients. It operates through one segment, which is community banking. The Company is primarily engaged in attracting deposits from individuals and businesses and using these deposits and borrowed funds to originate commercial, residential mortgage, construction and consumer loans. It originates loans secured by single and multi-family real estate, residential construction and commercial buildings. The Company's consumer loan portfolio is composed of secured and unsecured loans that it originates. Its commercial and industrial loans include working capital, inventory, equipment and capital expansion.

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.

Origin Bancorp Inc has a Value Score of 66, which is considered to be undervalued.

Origin Bancorp Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 12.5 compared to the industry median at 12.1. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Origin Bancorp Inc less attractive for value investors.

Origin Bancorp Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Origin Bancorp Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Origin Bancorp Inc’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.

Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Rhinebeck Bancorp, Inc. is a holding company for Rhinebeck Bank (the Bank). The Bank provides a full range of banking and financial services to consumer and commercial customers through approximately 14 branches and over two representative offices located in Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, and Albany counties. The Bank’s primary business activity is accepting deposits from the public and using those funds, primarily to originate indirect automobile loans (automobile loans referred to as automobile dealerships), commercial real estate loans (which include multi-family real estate loans and commercial construction loans), commercial business loans and one-to four-family residential real estate loans, and to purchase investment securities. It offers various deposit accounts, including savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, commercial and personal checking accounts, and others. It also offers alternative delivery channels, including online banking and bill pay.

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.

Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc has a Value Score of 78, which is considered to be undervalued.

Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 20.7 compared to the industry median at 12.1. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc less attractive for value investors.

Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.00.

You can read more about Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc’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 6 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.

• Sierra Bancorp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Citizens Community Bancorp Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Metrocity Bankshares Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Origin Bancorp Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Rhinebeck Bancorp Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 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.

• 6 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Wednesday, September 18
• 6 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Tuesday, September 17
• Which Is a Better Investment, Comerica Inc or Merchants Bancorp Stock?
• Which Is a Better Investment, Live Oak Bancshares Inc or United Community Banks Inc Stock?

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.