Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 4 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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4 Undervalued Banks Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 4 undervalued stocks in the Banks industry for Thursday, January 29, 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.

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.

Citigroup Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Citigroup Inc., a diversified financial service holding company, provides various financial product and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. It operates through five segments: Services, Markets, Banking, U.S. Personal Banking, and Wealth. The Services segment includes treasury and trade solutions, which provides cash management, trade, and working capital solutions to multinational corporations, financial institutions, and public sector organizations; and securities services, such as cross-border support for clients, local market expertise, post-trade technologies, data solutions, and various securities services solutions. The Markets segment offers sales and trading services for equities, foreign exchange, rates, spread products, and commodities to corporate, institutional, and public sector clients; and market-making services, including asset classes, risk management solutions, financing, and prime brokerage. The Banking segment includes investment banking services comprising equity and debt capital markets-related strategic financing solutions; advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and corporate defense activities; and corporate lending consists of corporate and commercial banking. The U.S. Personal Banking segment provides proprietary and co-branded card portfolios; and traditional banking services to retail and small business customers. The Wealth segment offers financial services to high-net-worth clients through banking, lending, mortgages, investment, custody, and trust product offerings; professional industries, including law firms, consulting groups, accounting, and asset management; and affluent and high net worth clients. The company operates in North America, the United Kingdom, Japan, North and South Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 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.

Citigroup Inc. has a Value Score of 77, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Citigroup Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.82 compared to the industry median at 3.28, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Citigroup Inc.’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Citigroup Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 16.10 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 Citigroup Inc. 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. Citigroup Inc.’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. Citigroup Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.15. This could make Citigroup Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Southside Bancshares, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Southside Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Southside Bank that provides various financial services to individuals, businesses, municipal entities, and nonprofit organizations. Its deposit products include savings, money market, and interest and noninterest bearing checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company offers consumer loan services, including 1-4 family residential, home equity, home improvement, automobile, and other consumer related loans; commercial loans, such as short-term working capital loans for inventory and accounts receivable, short and medium-term loans for equipment or other business capital expansion, commercial real estate loans, and municipal loans; and construction loans for 1-4 family residential and commercial real estate. It also provides wealth management and trust services comprising investment management, administration of irrevocable, revocable, and testamentary trusts, estate administration, and custodian services for individuals, partnerships, and corporations; safe deposit services; and brokerage services. In addition, the company offers retirement and employee benefit accounts consisting of plans and profit sharing plans; and telephone, internet, and mobile banking services. The company offers various banking services through branches, drive-thru facilities, automated teller machines, and interactive teller machines. Southside Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Tyler, 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.

Southside Bancshares, Inc. has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.

Southside Bancshares, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 14.0 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Southside Bancshares, Inc. less attractive for value investors.

Southside Bancshares, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Southside Bancshares, Inc. fairly attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.15.

You can read more about Southside Bancshares, 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.

Univest Financial Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Univest Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Univest Bank and Trust Co. that provides banking services in the United States. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance. The Banking segment offers financial services to individuals, businesses, municipalities, and non-profit organizations, including deposit taking, loan origination and servicing, mortgage banking, other general banking services, and equipment lease financing. The Wealth Management segment provides investment advisory, financial planning and trust, and brokerage services for private families and individuals, municipal pension plans, retirement plans, trusts, and guardianships. The Insurance segment offers full-service insurance brokerage agency comprising commercial property and casualty insurance, employee benefit solutions, personal insurance lines, and human resources consulting services. The company was formerly known as Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania and changed its name to Univest Financial Corporation in January 2019. Univest Financial Corporation was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Souderton, Pennsylvania.

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.

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

Univest Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.2 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 Univest Financial Corporation more attractive for value investors.

Univest Financial Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Univest Financial Corporation less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.15.

You can read more about Univest 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.

Wells Fargo & Company’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Wells Fargo & Company, a financial services company, provides diversified banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses. Its financial products and services include checking and savings accounts, and credit and debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business lending services. The Commercial Banking segment provides financial solutions to private, family owned, and certain public companies. Its products and services include banking and credit products across various industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management services. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment offers a suite of capital markets, banking, and financial products and services, such as corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, equity, and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities services to corporate, commercial real estate, government, and institutional clients. The Wealth and Investment Management segment provides personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, and trust and fiduciary products and services to affluent, high-net worth, and ultra-high-net worth clients. It also operates through financial advisors in brokerage and wealth offices, consumer bank branches, independent offices, and digitally through WellsTrade and Intuitive Investor. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, 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.

Wells Fargo & Company has a Value Score of 67, which is considered to be undervalued.

Wells Fargo & Company’s price-earnings ratio is 14.5 compared to the industry median at 12.7. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Wells Fargo & Company less attractive for value investors.

Wells Fargo & Company’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Wells Fargo & Company more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.15.

You can read more about Wells Fargo & Company’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 4 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.

• Citigroup Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Southside Bancshares, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Univest Financial Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Wells Fargo & Company stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 4 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.

• 4 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Thursday, January 29
• Is Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA) Overvalued?
• Is Banco Santander, S.A. (SAN) Overvalued?
• Is Bank of America Corporation (BAC) Overvalued?

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.