Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 7 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Software 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 Software 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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7 Undervalued Software Stocks
Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 7 undervalued stocks in the Software industry for Thursday, November 14, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Software industry median.
| Company | Ticker | Price/Sales | Price/Earnings | EV/EBITDA | Shareholder Yield | Price/Book Value | Price/Free Cash Flow | Value Grade |
| Cerence Inc. | CRNC | 0.37 | na | 12.9 | (3.6%) | 0.19 | 7.6 | B |
| Iveda Solutions, Inc. | IVDA | 0.73 | na | na | (1.9%) | 0.48 | na | B |
| LM Funding America, Inc. | LMFA | 0.46 | na | na | (13.6%) | 0.21 | na | B |
| Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd | NISN | 0.08 | 2.1 | na | (0.2%) | 0.17 | na | A |
| OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. | OCFT | 0.86 | na | 5.4 | 4.9% | 0.90 | na | A |
| Upland Software, Inc. | UPLD | 0.28 | na | 18.2 | 16.2% | 0.30 | 3.3 | A |
| VirnetX Holding Corporation | VHC | na | na | 1.0 | (0.6%) | 0.38 | na | A |
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.
Cerence Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CRNC | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 14 | 0.37 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | 54 | 12.9 | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 71 | (3.6%) | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 5 | 0.19 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 16 | 7.6 | 34.8 |
Cerence Inc. provides AI powered virtual assistants for the mobility/transportation market in United States, Other Americas, Germany, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Japan, and Other Asia-Pacific. The company offers edge software components, cloud-connected components, virtual assistant coexistence, and professional services. It also provides conversational artificial intelligence-based solutions, including speech recognition, natural language understanding, speech signal enhancement, text-to-speech, and acoustic modeling technology. Cerence Inc. is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.
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.
Cerence Inc. has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at Cerence Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 0.37 compared to the industry median at 4.24, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Cerence Inc.’s stock more attractive for value investors.
Now, let’s assess Cerence Inc.’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 12.9, when compared to the industry median of 27.4, 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. Cerence Inc.’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of (2.55%). 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. Cerence Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 3.97. This could make Cerence Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Lastly, let’s take a look at Cerence Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Cerence Inc.’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 34.80. This could make Cerence Inc. more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Cerence 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.
Iveda Solutions, Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | IVDA | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 26 | 0.73 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 65 | (1.9%) | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 13 | 0.48 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 34.8 |
Iveda Solutions, Inc. provides artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation technologies in the United States and Taiwan. The company offers IvedaAI, a deep-learning video analytics software and Sentir Video, a video surveillance solution for various kinds of applications. It also provides Cerebro IoT Platform, a software technology platform that integrates a multitude of disparate systems for central access and management of applications, subsystems, and devices, and IvedaSPS, a smart power solution utilizing in Cerebro IoT platform, and IvedaXpress, a system for pre-existing IP cameras and AI analytics for servers and IT department. In addition, the company offers Iveda Smart UVC, an AI vent for irradiating UV light and Iveda drone to perform certain functions from an aerial view. Further, it offers Utilus smart pole solution that consists of power and Internet with a communication network for the access and management of sensors and devices, as well as provides utility cabin, IoT sensors and devices and LAN switch products. The company serves airports, commercial buildings, government customers, data centers, shopping centers, hotels, banks, and safe city projects. Iveda Solutions, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is based in Mesa, Arizona.
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.
Iveda Solutions, Inc. has a Value Score of 75, which is considered to be undervalued.
Iveda Solutions, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Iveda Solutions, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about Iveda Solutions, 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.
LM Funding America, Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | LMFA | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 17 | 0.46 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 82 | (13.6%) | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 6 | 0.21 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 34.8 |
LM Funding America, Inc. operates as a cryptocurrency mining and specialty finance company. It operates through two segments, Specialty Finance and Mining Operations. The company also engages in Bitcoin mining operations; and provides funding to nonprofit community associations. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Tampa, 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.
LM Funding America, Inc. has a Value Score of 74, which is considered to be undervalued.
LM Funding America, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make LM Funding America, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about LM Funding America, 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.
Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | NISN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 3 | 0.08 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | 1 | 2.1 | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 51 | (0.2%) | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 5 | 0.17 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 34.8 |
Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd, an investment holding company, provides technology-driven integrated supply chain and financial solution services in the People’s Republic of China. It offers small-and mid-sized enterprises financing solutions, such as designing debt financial products, product descriptions, and other related advisory services to underwriters and financial institutions; and financing solution services, including due diligence investigation, government registration, customer recommendation, investor education and maintenance, and other related services comprising advisory and intermediary matching services. The company also provides supply chain solutions services, which includes big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, and other cutting-edge technologies primarily for agriculture, infrastructure, maritime logistics, energy, and plastics products markets. In addition, it offers supply chain trading services for various industries, such as agriculture, coal, new energy technology, construction, e-commerce, retail, and food and vegetable industries. Further, the company provides direct banking solutions through Huijingshe platform, which offers specialized asset allocation and financial planning services to institutional and individual investors. Additionally, it offers customer management, consulting, and advisory services. The company was formerly known as Hebron Technology Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd in September 2020. Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China.
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.
Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd has a Value Score of 98, which is considered to be undervalued.
Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd’s price-earnings ratio is 2.1 compared to the industry median at 45.1. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd more attractive for value investors.
Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd’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.
OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | OCFT | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 29 | 0.86 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14 | 5.4 | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 14 | 4.9% | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 27 | 0.90 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 34.8 |
OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. provides cloud-platform-based Fintech solutions, and online information and operating support services for financial institutions in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Technology Solutions and Virtual Bank Business segments. The company offers Gamma Platform, which offers a toolbox of separate solution modules that provide technology infrastructure and underlying technologies; marketing management platform, developed from AI Banker App, provides banks relationship managers with technology that supports in managing their acquisition and relationships with retail customers; and wealth management platform that provides banks with tools to enhance the efficiency of their wealth management business. It also provides intelligent product development platform for banks, which allows to shorten product development cycle, enhance speed to market, and facilitate product portfolio management; Regtech, an end-to-end regulatory solution for financial regulatory authorities; asset-liability management solution provides analytics to enhance financial institutions asset liquidity performance; and digital insurance solutions for digitalizing the insurance process, marketing, customer management, and claim processing under intelligent property and casualty insurance and life insurance solution. In addition, the company provides Gamma Voice Solution, an AI customer service for support customer service functions; and Gamma FinCloud, which allows entities with expensive-to-replace legacy systems to directly migrate to the cloud to securely maintain their data. Further, it offers information transmission, information technology advisory, E-commerce security certificate administration, technology promotion and computer application, software and technology, insurance survey and loss adjustment, and asset management and consulting services. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People's Republic of China.
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.
OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.
OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd.’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.
Upland Software, Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | UPLD | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 12 | 0.28 | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | 74 | 18.2 | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 2 | 16.2% | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 8 | 0.30 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 6 | 3.3 | 34.8 |
Upland Software, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud-based software applications under the Upland brand name in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. It offers software applications that enable organizations to plan, manage and execute projects, and work in the areas of marketing, sales, contact center, knowledge management, project management, information technology, business operations, human resources, and legal. The company also provides professional services, such as implementation, data extraction, integration and configuration, and training services, as well as customer support services. It serves corporations, government agencies, and small and medium-sized businesses in the financial, consulting, technology, manufacturing, media, telecommunication, insurance, non-profit healthcare, life sciences, retail, and hospitality sectors. The company was formerly known as Silverback Enterprise Group, Inc. and changed its name to Upland Software, Inc. in November 2013. Upland Software, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
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.
Upland Software, Inc. has a Value Score of 95, which is considered to be undervalued.
Upland Software, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Upland Software, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about Upland Software, 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.
VirnetX Holding Corporation’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | VHC | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | na | na | 4.24 |
| Price/Earnings | na | na | 45.1 |
| EV/EBITDA | 4 | 1.0 | 27.4 |
| Shareholder Yield | 55 | (0.6%) | (2.6%) |
| Price/Book Value | 10 | 0.38 | 3.97 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | na | na | 34.8 |
VirnetX Holding Corporation, through its subsidiary VirnetX, Inc., operates as an Internet security software and technology company primarily in the United States. The company develops software and technology solutions, including secure domain name registry and GABRIEL Connection Technology that are designed to secure communications over the Internet using zero trust network access. It also offers a portfolio of licenses and services, such as VirnetX One, a security-as-a-service platform that protects enterprise applications, services, and infrastructure from cyber-attacks; GABRIEL Connection Technology software development kit to assist with rapid integration of its techniques into existing software implementations; War Room software that offers safe and secure video conferencing meeting environment where sensitive communications and data is invisible to those not authorized to view it; and VirnetX Matrix that provides security for internet-enabled enterprise applications and their connected devices. In addition, the company provides GABRIEL Collaboration Suite that enables seamless and secure cross-platform communications between users’ devices. It serves domain infrastructure and communication service providers, and system integrators; and enterprise customers, developers, and original equipment manufacturers of chips, servers, desktops, smart phones, tablets, laptops, net books, and other devices in the IP-telephony, mobility, fixed-mobile convergence, and unified communications markets. The company has a partnership with ObjectSecurity LLC to provide secure cyber vulnerability analysis in private cloud environments. VirnetX Holding Corporation was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Zephyr Cove, 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.
VirnetX Holding Corporation has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.
VirnetX Holding Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make VirnetX Holding Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 3.97.
You can read more about VirnetX Holding 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.
Other Software 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 Software stocks as well as other industrys.
Choosing Which of the 7 Best Software 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.
- Cerence Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Iveda Solutions, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
- LM Funding America, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Nisun International Enterprise Development Group Co., Ltd stock has a Value Grade of A.
- OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. stock has a Value Grade of A.
- Upland Software, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
- VirnetX Holding Corporation stock has a Value Grade of A.
Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 7 undervalued stocks in the Software 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 Software Stocks
Want to learn more about Software 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.
- 7 Undervalued Software Stocks for Thursday, November 14
- 3 Undervalued Software Stocks for Wednesday, November 13
- 4 Undervalued Software Stocks for Tuesday, November 12
- 6 Undervalued Software Stocks for Monday, November 11
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.
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