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 Financial Services 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 Financial Services 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 Financial Services 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 Financial Services industry for Thursday, October 17, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Financial Services 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.

Cannae Holdings, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Cannae Holdings, Inc. is a principal investment firm. The firm primarily invests in restaurants, technology enabled healthcare services, financial services and more. It takes both minority and majority stakes. Cannae Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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.

Cannae Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 91, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Cannae Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.65 compared to the industry median at 2.66, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Cannae Holdings, Inc.’s stock more attractive for value investors.

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. Cannae Holdings, Inc.’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.85%. 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. Cannae Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.50. This could make Cannae Holdings, Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Compass Diversified’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Compass Diversified is a private equity firm specializing in add on acquisitions, buyouts, industry consolidation, recapitalization, late stage, and middle market investments. It seeks to invest in leading industrial or branded consumer companies, textiles, Apparel and Luxury goods, trading companies and distributors, manufacturing, distribution, consumer discretionary, commercial services and supplies, consumer products, capital good, Leisure Product, consumer service, consumer staples, household durables, business services sector, infrastructure healthcare, safety & security, electronic components, food, and foodservice. The firm prefers to invest in companies based in North America. It seeks to invest between $200 million to$800 million and EBITDA between $20 million to $80 million. It seeks to acquire controlling ownership interests in its portfolio companies and can make additional platform acquisitions. The firm prefer to have controlled and majority stake in companies. The firm invests through its balance sheet and typically holds investments between five to seven years. Compass Diversified was founded in 2006 and is based in Westport, Connecticut with an additional office in Costa Mesa, California.

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.

Compass Diversified has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

Compass Diversified’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Compass Diversified less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.50.

You can read more about Compass Diversified’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.

FlexShopper, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

FlexShopper, Inc., a financial technology company, operates an e-commerce marketplace to shop electronics, home furnishings, and other durable goods on a lease-to-own (LTO) basis. The company offers consumer electronics; home appliances; computers, such as tablets and wearables; smartphones; tires; and jewelry and furniture, including accessories. It also provides payment options to consumers. The company offers its products under the LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, Frigidaire, General Electric, Whirlpool, Apple, Asus, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, Resident, Sealy, and Ashley brands. The company was formerly known as Anchor Funding Services, Inc. and changed its name to FlexShopper, Inc. in October 2013. FlexShopper, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.

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.

FlexShopper, Inc. has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.

FlexShopper, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make FlexShopper, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.50.

You can read more about FlexShopper, 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.

Jackson Financial Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Jackson Financial Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides suite of annuities to retail investors in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Retail Annuities, Institutional Products, and Closed Life and Annuity Blocks. The Retail Annuities segment offers various retirement income and savings products, including variable, fixed index, fixed, and payout annuities, as well as registered index-linked annuities and lifetime income solutions. The Institutional Products segment provides traditional guaranteed investment contracts; funding agreements comprising agreements issued in conjunction with its participation in the U.S. federal home loan bank program; and medium-term funding agreement-backed notes. The Closed Life and Annuity Blocks segment offers various protection products, such as whole life, universal life, variable universal life, and term life insurance products, as well as fixed, fixed index, and payout annuities; and a block of group payout annuities. The company also offers investment management services. It sells its products through a distribution network that includes independent broker-dealers, wirehouses, regional broker-dealers, banks, independent registered investment advisors, third-party platforms, and insurance agents. The company was formerly known as Brooke (Holdco1) Inc. and changed its name to Jackson Financial Inc. in July 2020. Jackson Financial Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan.

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.

Jackson Financial Inc. has a Value Score of 98, which is considered to be undervalued.

Jackson Financial Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 3.6 compared to the industry median at 16.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Jackson Financial Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Jackson Financial Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Jackson Financial Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.50.

You can read more about Jackson Financial 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.

MGIC Investment Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

MGIC Investment Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance, other mortgage credit risk management solutions, and ancillary services to lenders and government sponsored entities in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The company offers primary mortgage insurance that provides mortgage default protection on individual loans, as well as covers unpaid loan principal, delinquent interest, and various expenses associated with the default and subsequent foreclosure. It also provides pool insurance for secondary market mortgage transactions; and contract underwriting services, as well as reinsurance. The company serves originators of residential mortgage loans, including savings institutions, commercial banks, mortgage brokers, credit unions, mortgage bankers, and other lenders. MGIC Investment Corporation was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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.

MGIC Investment Corporation has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.

MGIC Investment Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 9.7 compared to the industry median at 16.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes MGIC Investment Corporation more attractive for value investors.

MGIC Investment Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make MGIC Investment Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.50.

You can read more about MGIC Investment Corporation’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.

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. operates as a payment technology company in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMB) Payments, Business-To-Business (B2B) Payments, and Enterprise Payments. It offers SMB payments processing solutions for B2C transactions through independent sales organizations, financial institutions, independent software vendors, and other referral partners through its MX product suite, which includes MX Connect and MX Merchant products, such as MX Insights, MX Storefront, MX Retail, MX Invoice, MX B2B and ACH.com, and others, which provides flexible and customizable set of business applications that helps to manage critical business work functions and revenue performance to resellers and merchant clients using core payment processing. The company also offers CPX, a platform that offers accounts payable automation solutions, including virtual card, purchase card, ACH +, dynamic discounting, or check. In addition, it provides curated managed services; payment-adjacent technologies to facilitate the acceptance of electronic payments from customers; and Plastiq payables management software, which helps businesses in improving cash flow with instant access to working capital. Further, the company offers embedded finance and BaaS solutions to enterprise customers to modernize legacy platforms and accelerate software partners' strategies to monetize payments; and managed services solutions that provide audience-specific programs for institutional partners and other third parties; and consulting and development solutions. It serves SMB, and enterprises, as well as distribution partners, including retail and wholesale independent sales organizations, financial institutions, and independent software vendors. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

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.

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 63, which is considered to be undervalued.

Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Priority Technology Holdings, Inc. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.50.

You can read more about Priority Technology Holdings, 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 Financial Services 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 Financial Services stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 6 Best Financial Services 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.

• Cannae Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Compass Diversified stock has a Value Grade of B.
• FlexShopper, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Jackson Financial Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• MGIC Investment Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Priority Technology Holdings, 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 Financial Services 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 Financial Services Stocks

Want to learn more about Financial Services 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 Financial Services Stocks for Thursday, October 17
• 4 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Wednesday, October 16
• 6 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Tuesday, October 15
• 5 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Monday, October 14

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.