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 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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7 Undervalued Banks 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 Banks industry for Friday, April 17, 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.

California BanCorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

California BanCorp operates as the bank holding company for California Bank of Commerce, N.A. that provides various financial products to individuals, professionals, and small- to medium-sized businesses in California, the United States. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; and certificates of deposit. It also provides business loans, including construction and land development loans, commercial and industrial loans, small business administration loans, and consumer loans, as well as commercial real estate (CRE) loans comprising one- to four-family and multifamily residential loans, owner-occupied CRE loans, and non-owner-occupied CRE loans; lines of credit; home equity lines of credit; and letters of credit. In addition, the company offers treasury management; merchant services; escrow and sub-accounting solutions; cash vault, sweep accounts, and remote deposit capture services; online and mobile banking services; and ACH origination, courier, and lockbox processing services. It serves businesses, business owners and their trusts, limited liability corporations, business partnerships, associations, organizations, and governmental authorities, as well as the manufacturing, wholesale distribution, professional services, commercial real estate, healthcare, hospitality, commercial contractor, and non-profit organization sectors. The company was formerly known as Southern California Bancorp and changed its name to California BanCorp in August 2024. California BanCorp was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in San Diego, 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.

California BanCorp has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at California BanCorp’s price-to-sales ratio at 3.12 compared to the industry median at 3.26, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make California BanCorp’s stock more attractive for value investors.

California BanCorp’s price-earnings ratio is 9.50 compared to the industry median at 12.20. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make California BanCorp 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. California BanCorp’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 2.50%. 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. California BanCorp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.15. This could make California BanCorp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at California BanCorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. California BanCorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 15.95. This could make California BanCorp more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that California BanCorp 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.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California that provides various banking services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company provides deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, time certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. It also offers a range of lending products, such as commercial, commercial and residential real estate, real estate construction, agribusiness, and consumer loans, as well as equipment leases and credit card services; commercial products, including term loans, lines of credit and other working capital financing, and letters of credit; and financing products, such as automobile financing, home improvement, and home equity lines of credit. In addition, the company provides specialized services that include credit card programs for merchants, lockbox and other collection services, account reconciliation, investment sweep, online account access, and electronic funds transfers through domestic and international wire and automated clearinghouse; online banking services; and investment products, such as mutual funds and annuities. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Lodi, 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.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a Value Score of 81, which is considered to be undervalued.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 9.0 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Farmers & Merchants Bancorp more attractive for value investors.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Farmers & Merchants Bancorp fairly attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.15.

You can read more about Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’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 First Bancorp, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

The First Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for First National Bank that provides a range of banking products and services to individual and corporate customers. It accepts various deposit products, including demand, NOW, time, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit accounts. The company also provides commercial loans, such as mortgage loans to finance investments in real property, which includes retail spaces, offices, industrial buildings, hotels, educational facilities, and other specific or mixed use properties; commercial real estate non-owner occupied loans; commercial construction to finance construction in a mix of owner- and nonowner occupied commercial real estate properties; and commercial and industrial loans, including revolving and term loans for financing working capital and/or capital investment. In addition, it offers commercial multifamily loans; residential real estate term and construction loans; loans to municipalities in Maine for capitalized expenditures, construction projects, or tax anticipation notes; home equity revolving and term loans; and personal lines of credit and amortizing loans for various purposes, such as autos, recreational vehicles, debt consolidation, personal expenses, or overdraft protection. Further, the company offers private banking, financial planning, investment management, and trust services to individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and municipalities, as well as brokerage, annuity, and various insurance products. It operates through full-service banking offices in Lincoln, Knox, Waldo, Penobscot, Hancock, and Washington counties in the Mid-Coast, Eastern, and Down East regions of Maine. The company was formerly known as First National Lincoln Corporation and changed its name to The First Bancorp, Inc. in April 2008. The First Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1864 and is based in Damariscotta, Maine.

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

The First Bancorp, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 9.3 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes The First Bancorp, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

The First Bancorp, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make The First Bancorp, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.15.

You can read more about The First Bancorp, 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.

Fulton Financial Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Fulton Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Fulton Bank that provides banking and financial products and services in the United States. It provides various checking accounts and savings deposit products, and certificates of deposit. The company also offers consumer loans products, including home equity loans and lines of credit; construction and jumbo residential mortgage loans; automobile, student, and personal loans; account overdraft protection; commercial lending products comprising commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and construction loans, as well as equipment lease financing loans. In addition, it offers letters of credit, cash management services, and traditional deposit products; and wealth management services, including investment management, trust, brokerage, insurance, and investment advisory services. Further, the company owns trust preferred securities; and sells various life insurance products. It provides its products and services through financial center locations, as well as through a network of automated teller machines, telephone banking, mobile banking, and online banking. The company was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Lancaster, 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.

Fulton Financial Corporation has a Value Score of 68, which is considered to be undervalued.

Fulton Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 10.3 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Fulton Financial Corporation more attractive for value investors.

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

You can read more about Fulton 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.

South Plains Financial, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

South Plains Financial, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for City Bank that provides commercial and consumer financial services to small and medium-sized businesses and individuals. It offers deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, interest-bearing products, savings accounts, and certificate of deposits. The company also provides traditional trust products and services; debit and credit cards; retirement services and products, including real estate administration, family trust administration, revocable and irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts for individuals and corporations, self-directed individual retirement accounts, simplified employee pensions plans, employee stock ownership plans, defined benefit plans, and profit-sharing plans. In addition, it offers investment services, such as self-directed IRAs, money market funds, mutual funds, annuities and tax-deferred annuities, stocks and bonds, investments for non-U.S. residents, treasury bills, treasury notes and bonds, and tax-exempt municipal bonds. Further, the company provides commercial real estate loans; general and specialized commercial loans, including agricultural production and real estate, energy, finance, investment, and insurance loans, as well as loans to goods, services, restaurant and retail, construction, and other industries; residential construction loans; and 1-4 family residential loans, auto loans, and other loans for recreational vehicles or other purposes; and mortgage banking services. The company was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Lubbock, 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.

South Plains Financial, Inc. has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

South Plains Financial, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 12.6 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes South Plains Financial, Inc. less attractive for value investors.

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

You can read more about South Plains 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.

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Texas Capital Bank, is a full-service financial services firm that delivers customized solutions to businesses, entrepreneurs, and individual customers. The company offers commercial banking; consumer banking; investment banking solutions, including capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and syndicated finance, as well as financial sponsor coverage, capital solutions, and institutional services; and wealth management services, such as investment management, financial planning, lockbox and insurance, securities-based lending, estate planning, and business succession, as well as philanthropic, trustee and executor, custom credit, and depository services. It also provides deposit accounts, analyzed accounts, commercial card, SBA and business loans, packaged solutions, and merchant services; liquidity and investments, working capital, international trade and payment, and treasury and credit products; and commercial real estate, homebuilder and community, and mortgage finance. In addition, the company offers payables and receivables management; online and mobile banking; term loans and lines of credit, equipment finance and lease, acquisition finance, and asset-based lending; private wealth advisory solutions; and checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, and certificates of deposit, as well as ETF and funds management services. Further, it provides financial institution money market accounts and loan syndication products; commercial loans for financing for working capital, organic growth, and acquisitions; real estate term and construction loans; mortgage warehouse lending services; treasury management, trust, and advisory and escrow services; and letters of credit. The company operates in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio metropolitan areas of Texas, as well as in California and New York. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Dallas, 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.

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 15.1 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a higher price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. less attractive for value investors.

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

You can read more about Texas Capital 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.

Westamerica Bancorporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Westamerica Bancorporation operates as a bank holding company for Westamerica Bank that provides various banking products and services to individual and commercial customers in the United States. The company accepts various deposit products from local businesses and professionals, as well as retail savings and checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio includes commercial, commercial real estate, residential real estate, real estate construction, consumer installment loans, as well as indirect automobile loans. The company serves small businesses, professionals, and consumers. The company was formerly known as Independent Bankshares Corporation and changed its name to Westamerica Bancorporation in 1983. Westamerica Bancorporation was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in San Rafael, 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.

Westamerica Bancorporation has a Value Score of 66, which is considered to be undervalued.

Westamerica Bancorporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.9 compared to the industry median at 12.2. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Westamerica Bancorporation more attractive for value investors.

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

You can read more about Westamerica Bancorporation’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 7 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.

• California BanCorp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• The First Bancorp, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Fulton Financial Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• South Plains Financial, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Westamerica Bancorporation stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 7 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.

• 7 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Friday, April 17
• 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.