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 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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5 Undervalued Financial Services 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 Financial Services industry for Tuesday, October 22, 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.

Enact Holdings, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Enact Holdings, Inc. operates as a private mortgage insurance company in the United States. It engages in writing and assuming residential mortgage guaranty insurance. The company also offers private mortgage insurance products primarily insuring prime-based, individually underwritten residential mortgage loans; contract underwriting services for mortgage lenders; and mortgage-related reinsurance products. It primarily serves originators of residential mortgage loans. The company was formerly known as Genworth Mortgage Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Enact Holdings, Inc. in May 2021. Enact Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Enact Holdings, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Genworth Holdings Inc.

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.

Enact Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Enact Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 4.84 compared to the industry median at 2.65, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Enact Holdings, Inc.’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Enact Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 8.70 compared to the industry median at 16.25. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Enact Holdings, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Enact Holdings, Inc.’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 5.3, when compared to the industry median of 10.3, 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. Enact Holdings, Inc.’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.80%. 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. Enact Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.48. This could make Enact Holdings, Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Enact Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Enact Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 14.40. This could make Enact Holdings, Inc. more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Enact Holdings, Inc. 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.

Bexil Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Bexil Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the investment management in the United States. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is based in Rochester, New York.

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.

Bexil Corporation has a Value Score of 79, which is considered to be undervalued.

Bexil Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 7.7 compared to the industry median at 16.3. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Bexil Corporation more attractive for value investors.

Bexil Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Bexil Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.48.

You can read more about Bexil 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.

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 3.5 compared to the industry median at 16.3. 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 1.48.

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.

The OLB Group, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

The OLB Group, Inc. provides integrated financial and transaction processing services for small and mid-sized merchants in the United States. It operates through two segments: Fintech Services and Bitcoin Mining Business segments. The company operates CrowdPay, a crowdfunding platform used to facilitate a capital raise of various types of securities; cloud-based business management platform that provides turnkey solutions for merchants to enable them to build and manage their retail businesses; eVance which provides payment processing solutions to merchants, which enable merchants to process credit and debit card-based internet payments for sales of their products; and SecurePay, a payment gateway and virtual terminal with proprietary business management tools. It is also involved in the cryptocurrency mining activities; cryptocurrency-related services; and provision of ecommerce development and consulting services. The OLB Group, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

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.

The OLB Group, Inc. has a Value Score of 77, which is considered to be undervalued.

The OLB Group, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make The OLB Group, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.48.

You can read more about The OLB Group, 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.

Waterstone Financial, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Waterstone Financial, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for WaterStone Bank SSB that provides various financial services to customers in southeastern Wisconsin, the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking and Mortgage Banking. The Community Banking segment offers consumer and business banking products and services, such as deposit and transactional solutions, including checking accounts, online banking and bill pay services, money transfer services, as well as credit, debit, and pre-paid cards; investable funds solutions comprising savings, money market deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, personal and installment loans, real estate financing, business loans, and business lines of credit; and fixed and variable annuities, insurance products, and trust and investment management accounts. It also provides transaction deposits, interest bearing transaction accounts, demand deposits, non-interest-bearing demand accounts, and time deposits; secured and unsecured lines; commercial real estate construction loans; term loans for working capital, inventory, and general corporate use; and personal term loans and investment services. The Mortgage Banking segment offers residential mortgage loans for the purpose of sale in the secondary market. It also invests in a portfolio of securities include mortgage-backed securities, government-sponsored and private-label enterprise bonds, collateralized mortgage and municipal obligations, and other debt securities. The company was formerly known as Wauwatosa Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Waterstone Financial, Inc. in August 2008. The company was founded in 1921 and is based in Wauwatosa, 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.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. has a Value Score of 75, which is considered to be undervalued.

Waterstone Financial, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 23.7 compared to the industry median at 16.3. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Waterstone Financial, Inc. less attractive for value investors.

Waterstone Financial, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Waterstone Financial, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.48.

You can read more about Waterstone 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.

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 5 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.

• Enact Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Bexil Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Jackson Financial Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• The OLB Group, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Waterstone Financial, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 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.

• 5 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Tuesday, October 22
• 5 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Monday, October 21
• 4 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Friday, October 18
• 6 Undervalued Financial Services Stocks for Thursday, October 17

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.