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 Monday, September 28, 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.

Cathay General Bancorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Cathay General Bancorp operates as the holding company for Cathay Bank that offers various commercial banking products and services to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in the United States. It offers savings accounts, checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and public funds deposits, and acceptance of checking, savings, demand deposits, time deposits, real estate, and consumer loans. The company also provides loan products, such as commercial real estate loans, commercial loans, small business administration loans, residential mortgage loans, real estate construction loans, and home equity lines of credit, and installment loans to individuals for household and other consumer expenditures. In addition, it offers trade financing, letter of credit, wire transfer, foreign currency spot and forward contract, safe deposit, overdraft, cash checking, automatic teller machine, Internet banking, investment, and other customary bank services, as well as investment products and services, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance, annuities, and advisory services. The company was formerly known as Cathay Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to Cathay General Bancorp in November 2003. Cathay General Bancorp was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, 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.

Cathay General Bancorp has a Value Score of 74, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Cathay General Bancorp’s price-to-sales ratio at 5.29 compared to the industry median at 3.40, this company has a higher price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Cathay General Bancorp’s stock less attractive for value investors.

Cathay General Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 12.00 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 Cathay General 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. Cathay General Bancorp’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. Cathay General Bancorp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its industry median ratio of 1.25. This could make Cathay General Bancorp less attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at Cathay General Bancorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. Cathay General Bancorp’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 14.85. This could make Cathay General Bancorp more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that Cathay General 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.

Forbright, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Forbright, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Forbright Bank that provides various financial services for consumers and businesses in the United States. The company offers checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and other account and branch banking services; checking and money markets, large deposits, order checks, and individual retirement account; and asset, corporate, fund, healthcare, lender, and real estate financing services, as well as credit cards. It also provides middle market lending, digital consumer banking, strategic advisory, and asset management services. Forbright, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Chevy Chase, 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.

Forbright, Inc. has a Value Score of 86, which is considered to be undervalued.

Forbright, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 9.7 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 Forbright, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Forbright, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Forbright, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.25.

You can read more about Forbright, 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.

Northrim BanCorp, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Northrim BanCorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Northrim Bank that provides commercial banking products and services to businesses and professional individuals. It operates through three segments: Community Banking, Home Mortgage Lending, and Specialty Finance. The company offers noninterest-bearing checking accounts and interest-bearing time deposits, checking and savings accounts, individual retirement and money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, and business sweep accounts. It also provides short and medium-term commercial loans, commercial credit lines, construction and real estate loans, and consumer loans, as well as short and medium-term working capital. In addition, the company offers consumer and business online banking, mobile app, and mobile deposits; and debit and credit cards. Further, it provides mobile web and app banking, consumer online account opening, personal finance, online documents, consumer debit cards, business debit cards, my rewards for consumer debit cards, retail lockbox services, card control, corporate purchase cards, integrated payables, home equity advantage access cards, telebanking, and automated teller services. Additionally, the company offers personalized checks at account opening, overdraft protection from a savings account, commercial drive-up banking, automatic transfer and payment, external transfer, bill pay, wire transfer, direct payroll deposit, electronic tax payment, automated clearing house origination and receipt, remote deposit capture, account reconciliation and positive pay, merchant, cash management, annuity, and long-term investment portfolio products and services. It also provides investment advisory, trust, wealth management, factoring, and mortgage services. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska.

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.

Northrim BanCorp, Inc. has a Value Score of 84, which is considered to be undervalued.

Northrim BanCorp, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 8.2 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 Northrim BanCorp, Inc. more attractive for value investors.

Northrim BanCorp, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Northrim BanCorp, Inc. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.25.

You can read more about Northrim 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.

OP Bancorp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

OP Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Open Bank that provides banking products and services. It offers demand, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides commercial real estate, small business administration, home mortgage, and consumer loans. It operates full branch offices in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California, as well as Santa Clara, California; Carrollton, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada Pleasanton, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Aurora, Colorado; Lynnwood, Washington; and Fairfax, Virginia. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, 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.

OP Bancorp has a Value Score of 87, which is considered to be undervalued.

OP Bancorp’s price-earnings ratio is 7.8 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 OP Bancorp more attractive for value investors.

OP Bancorp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make OP Bancorp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.25.

You can read more about OP 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.

Ohio Valley Banc Corp.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Ohio Valley Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Ohio Valley Bank Company that provides commercial and retail banking products and services. It accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, time, and money market accounts, as well as individual retirement accounts, demand deposits, NOW accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company provides various residential real estate loans, including one-to four-family residential mortgages; commercial loans for securing equipment, inventory, stock, commercial real estate, and rental property; and consumer loans secured by automobiles, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and other personal property, as well as personal loans, unsecured credit card receivables, floor plan and student loans, and construction loans. In addition, it offers safe deposit box, wire transfer, credit card, home equity loans, and Internet banking services; and financial management online services, such as cash management and news updates related to repossession auctions, current rates, and general bank news. The company owns and operates ATMs, including off-site ATMs. It operates offices in Ohio and West Virginia. The company was founded in 1872 and is based in Gallipolis, 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.

Ohio Valley Banc Corp. has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.

Ohio Valley Banc Corp.’s price-earnings ratio is 14.6 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 Ohio Valley Banc Corp. less attractive for value investors.

Ohio Valley Banc Corp.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Ohio Valley Banc Corp. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.25.

You can read more about Ohio Valley Banc Corp.’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.

• Cathay General Bancorp stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Forbright, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Northrim BanCorp, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
• OP Bancorp stock has a Value Grade of A.
• Ohio Valley Banc Corp. 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, September 25
• Which Is a Better Investment, Beacon Financial Corporation or SouthState Bank Corporation Stock?
• Which Is a Better Investment, Mechanics Bancorp or SouthState Bank Corporation Stock?
• Why Patriot National Bancorp, Inc.’s (PNBK) Stock Is Up 5.91%

AAII Disclaimer

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