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 Friday, January 16, 2026. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Banks industry median.
| Company | Ticker | Price/Sales | Price/Earnings | EV/EBITDA | Shareholder Yield | Price/Book Value | Price/Free Cash Flow | Value Grade |
| Bank of Montreal | BMO | 2.99 | 16.5 | na | 7.8% | 1.55 | 5.5 | B |
| C&F; Financial Corporation | CFFI | 1.84 | 8.8 | na | 3.2% | 0.91 | 4.6 | A |
| First United Corporation | FUNC | 3.06 | 10.3 | na | 2.2% | 1.29 | 23.8 | B |
| Huntington Bancshares Incorporated | HBAN | 3.48 | 12.6 | na | 3.1% | 1.34 | 17.9 | B |
| QCR Holdings, Inc. | QCRH | 4.37 | 12.2 | na | (0.1%) | 1.35 | 7.2 | B |
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.
Bank of Montreal’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | BMO | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 61 | 2.99 | 3.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 39 | 16.5 | 12.7 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 0.0 |
| Shareholder Yield | 8 | 7.8% | 2.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 41 | 1.55 | 1.13 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 11 | 5.5 | 15.4 |
Bank of Montreal engages in the provision of diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company operates through Canadian P&C;, U.S P&C;, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. It’s personal banking products and services include deposits, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products. It also offers investing, banking, and wealth management advisory; digital investing services; financial solutions for individuals, families, and businesses; offers investment management services to institutional, retail, and high net worth investors; and diversified insurance, and wealth and pension de-risking solutions. In addition, the company provides individual life, critical illness and annuity products, as well as segregated funds, and group creditor and travel insurance to customers; debt and equity capital-raising, loan origination and syndication, balance sheet management, treasury management, mergers and acquisitions advice, restructurings and recapitalizations, trade finance, and risk mitigation services, as well as a range of banking and other operating services. Further, the company offers research and access to financial markets for institutional, corporate and retail clients through an integrated suite of sales and trading solutions related to debt, foreign exchange, interest rates, credit, equities, securitization, and commodities; provides new product development and origination services, as well as risk management and advisory services for hedging strategies, including in interest rates, foreign exchange rates and commodities prices; and funding and liquidity management services. Bank of Montreal was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
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.
Bank of Montreal has a Value Score of 80, which is considered to be undervalued.
When you look at Bank of Montreal’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.99 compared to the industry median at 3.23, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Bank of Montreal’s stock more attractive for value investors.
Bank of Montreal’s price-earnings ratio is 16.50 compared to the industry median at 12.70. This means it has a higher share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make Bank of Montreal less 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. Bank of Montreal’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 2.40%. 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. Bank of Montreal’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.13. This could make Bank of Montreal less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.
Lastly, let’s take a look at Bank of Montreal’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Bank of Montreal’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 15.40. This could make Bank of Montreal more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Bank of Montreal 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.
C&F; Financial Corporation’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | CFFI | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 46 | 1.84 | 3.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 12 | 8.8 | 12.7 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 0.0 |
| Shareholder Yield | 24 | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 20 | 0.91 | 1.13 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 9 | 4.6 | 15.4 |
C&F; Financial Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Citizens and Farmers Bank that provides banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates through three segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Consumer Finance. The Community Banking segment offers various banking services, including checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans. This segment also provides ATMs, Internet and mobile banking, peer-to-peer payment capabilities, and debit cards, as well as safe deposit box rentals, notary public, electronic transfer, and other customary bank services. The Mortgage Banking segment offers various residential mortgage loans; originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration, and mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Veterans Administration; and ancillary mortgage loan production services to third parties for residential appraisals, as well as various mortgage origination activities. The Consumer Finance segment provides automobile loans. It also offers brokerage and wealth management services, and insurance products and services, as well as title and settlement agencies. C&F; Financial Corporation was founded in 1927 and is based in Toano, Virginia.
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.
C&F; Financial Corporation has a Value Score of 93, which is considered to be undervalued.
C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 8.8 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes C&F; Financial Corporation more attractive for value investors.
C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make C&F; Financial Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.13.
You can read more about C&F; Financial 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.
First United Corporation’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | FUNC | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 62 | 3.06 | 3.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 16 | 10.3 | 12.7 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 0.0 |
| Shareholder Yield | 30 | 2.2% | 2.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 34 | 1.29 | 1.13 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 56 | 23.8 | 15.4 |
First United Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First United Bank & Trust that provides various retail and commercial banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. It operates through Community Banking and Wealth Management segments. The company offers various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, individual retirement (IRA), employee benefit, and health savings accounts; regular and IRA certificates of deposit; demand deposits; business and personal loans; lines of credit; commercial loans secured by real estate, commercial equipment, vehicles or other assets of the borrower; residential mortgages; real estate construction loans to builders and individuals for single family dwellings; and indirect and direct auto loans, student loans, and other secured and unsecured lines of credit and term loans. It also provides brokerage; treasury management, cash sweep, and various checking opportunities; trust services, including personal trust, investment agency accounts, charitable trusts, and estate administration and estate planning, as well as retirement accounts including IRA roll-overs, 401(k) accounts, and defined benefit plans; and safe deposit and night depository facilities, and insurance products. First United Corporation was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Oakland, Maryland.
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.
First United Corporation has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.
First United Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 10.3 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes First United Corporation more attractive for value investors.
First United Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make First United Corporation more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.13.
You can read more about First United 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.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | HBAN | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 66 | 3.48 | 3.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 26 | 12.6 | 12.7 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 0.0 |
| Shareholder Yield | 25 | 3.1% | 2.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 36 | 1.34 | 1.13 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 44 | 17.9 | 15.4 |
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated operates as the bank holding company for The Huntington National Bank that provides commercial, consumer, and mortgage banking services in the United States. The company offers financial products and services to consumer and business customers, including deposits, lending, payments, mortgage banking, dealer financing, investment management, trust, brokerage, insurance, and other financial products and services. It also provides 24-Hour Grace, Asterisk-Free Checking, Money Scout, $50 Safety Zone, Standby Cash, Early Pay, Instant Access, Savings Goal Getter, And Huntington Heads Up; digitally powered consumer and business financial solutions to consumer lending, regional banking, branch banking, and wealth management customers; direct and indirect consumer loans, as well as dealer finance loans and deposits; and private banking, wealth management and legacy planning through investment and portfolio management, fiduciary administration and trust, institutional custody, and full-service retail brokerage investment services. The company offers equipment financing, asset-based lending, distribution finance, structured lending, and municipal financing solutions, as well as Huntington ChoicePay. In addition, it offers lending, liquidity, treasury management and other payment services, and capital markets; government and non-profits, healthcare, technology and telecommunications, franchises, financial sponsors, and global services; and corporate risk management, institutional sales and trading, debt and equity issuance, and additional advisory services. The company offers its products through a network of channels, including branches and ATMs, online and mobile banking, and through customer call centers to customers in middle market banking, corporate, specialty, and government banking, asset finance, commercial real estate banking, and capital markets. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
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.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated’s price-earnings ratio is 12.6 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Huntington Bancshares Incorporated more attractive for value investors.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Huntington Bancshares Incorporated more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.13.
You can read more about Huntington Bancshares Incorporated’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.
QCR Holdings, Inc.’s Value Grade
Value Grade:
| Metric | Score | QCRH | Industry Median |
| Price/Sales | 74 | 4.37 | 3.23 |
| Price/Earnings | 24 | 12.2 | 12.7 |
| EV/EBITDA | na | na | 0.0 |
| Shareholder Yield | 49 | (0.1%) | 2.4% |
| Price/Book Value | 36 | 1.35 | 1.13 |
| Price/Free Cash Flow | 15 | 7.2 | 15.4 |
QCR Holdings, Inc., a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial and consumer banking, and trust and asset management services. The company’s deposit products include noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, time, and brokered deposits. It also provides various commercial and retail lending/leasing, and investment services to corporations, partnerships, individuals, and government agencies. The company’s loan portfolio comprises loans to small and mid-sized businesses; business loans, including lines of credit for working capital and operational purposes; term loans for the acquisition of facilities, equipment, and other purposes; commercial and residential real estate loans; and installment and other consumer loans, such as motor vehicle, home improvement, home equity, signature loans, and small personal credit lines. In addition, it engages in lending and leasing of machinery and equipment to commercial and industrial businesses under direct financing lease contracts and equipment financing agreements; and issuance of trust preferred securities. QCR Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
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.
QCR Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.
QCR Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.2 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes QCR Holdings, Inc. more attractive for value investors.
QCR Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make QCR Holdings, Inc. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.13.
You can read more about QCR 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 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.
- Bank of Montreal stock has a Value Grade of B.
- C&F; Financial Corporation stock has a Value Grade of A.
- First United Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
- Huntington Bancshares Incorporated stock has a Value Grade of B.
- QCR Holdings, 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 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 Friday, January 16
- Is Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA) Overvalued?
- Is Banco Santander, S.A. (SAN) Overvalued?
- Is Bank of America Corporation (BAC) Overvalued?
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