Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 3 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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3 Undervalued Banks Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 3 undervalued stocks in the Banks industry for Wednesday, October 14, 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.

C&F; Financial Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

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, such as checking and savings deposit accounts; and business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans. This segment also provides ATMs, Internet and mobile banking, peer-to-peer payment capabilities, debit cards, safe deposit box rentals, notary public, electronic transfer, and other customary bank services, as well as wealth management services; and engages in owning equity interests in an independent insurance agency, and a full-service title and settlement agency. The Mortgage Banking segment offers various residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale to investors in the secondary mortgage market; 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. This segment also provides mortgage loan origination functions as a service to third party mortgage lenders and other community banks; and ancillary mortgage loan production services to third parties for residential appraisals. The Consumer Finance segment offers automobile financing through lending programs to serve customers in both the prime and non-prime markets. 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 76, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.48 compared to the industry median at 3.31, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make C&F; Financial Corporation’s stock more attractive for value investors.

C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.60 compared to the industry median at 12.00. This means it has a lower share price relative to earnings compared to its peers. This could make C&F; Financial Corporation 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. C&F; Financial Corporation’s shareholder yield is lower than its industry median ratio of 2.30%. 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. C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.24. This could make C&F; Financial Corporation more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Lastly, let’s take a look at C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio (P/FCF), which can indicate a company’s market value relative to its operating cash flow. C&F; Financial Corporation’s price-to-free-cash-flow ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 14.50. This could make C&F; Financial Corporation more attractive because the lower P/FCF ratio indicates that C&F; Financial Corporation 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.

First BanCorp.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

First BanCorp. operates as the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. It operates through six segments: Mortgage Banking; Consumer (Retail) Banking; Commercial and Corporate Banking; Treasury and Investments; United States Operations; and Virgin Islands Operations. The Mortgage Banking segment engages in the origination, sale, and servicing of various residential mortgage loans; hedging activities; purchase of mortgage loans from branch and mortgage bankers; and origination of residential real estate loans. The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment is involved in consumer lending, commercial lending to small businesses, commercial transaction banking, and deposit-taking activities. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers lending and other services, including commercial lending and commercial deposit-taking activities. The Treasury and Investments segment manages funding; and obtains funds through brokered deposits, advances from the FHLB, and repurchase agreements involving investment securities, among other funding sources. The United States Operations segment provides checking, savings, and money market accounts; retail CDs; internet banking services; residential mortgages; home equity loans and lines of credit; retail deposits; cash management services; remote data capture; automated clearing house transactions; and traditional commercial and industrial, and commercial real estate products, such as lines of credit, term loans, and construction loans. The Virgin Islands Operations segment focuses on consumer and commercial lending, and deposit-taking activities. The company also offers automobile financing and insurance agency services. First BanCorp. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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 BanCorp. has a Value Score of 65, which is considered to be undervalued.

First BanCorp.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.3 compared to the industry median at 12.0. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes First BanCorp. more attractive for value investors.

First BanCorp.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make First BanCorp. more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.24.

You can read more about First 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.

Franklin Financial Services Corporation’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides banking services to businesses, individuals, and governmental entities in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including demand deposits, savings, money management accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposits. The company also provides commercial real estate, construction and land development, commercial and industrial, and residential mortgage loans, as well as installment and revolving loans; consumer loans comprising unsecured personal lines of credit and installment loans; and secured and unsecured commercial and industrial loans, including accounts receivable and inventory financing, and commercial equipment financing. In addition, it offers various trust services comprising estate planning and administration, corporate and personal trust fund management, pension, and profit sharing and other employee benefit funds management services, and custodial services, as well as non-trust related investment services; sells mutual funds, annuities, and insurance products; safe deposit; and pension and fiduciary services. Further, the company engages in non-bank investment activities, such as venture capital investments. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Chambersburg, 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.

Franklin Financial Services Corporation has a Value Score of 71, which is considered to be undervalued.

Franklin Financial Services Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 11.6 compared to the industry median at 12.0. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Franklin Financial Services Corporation more attractive for value investors.

Franklin Financial Services Corporation’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Franklin Financial Services Corporation more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.24.

You can read more about Franklin Financial Services 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 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 3 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.

• C&F; Financial Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.
• First BanCorp. stock has a Value Grade of B.
• Franklin Financial Services Corporation stock has a Value Grade of B.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 3 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.

• 3 Undervalued Banks Stocks for Tuesday, October 13
• Why AGI Inc’s (AGBK) Stock Is Up 10.79%
• Why AGI Inc’s (AGBK) Stock Is Up 7.20%
• Why AmeriServ Financial, Inc.’s (ASRV) Stock Is Up 7.91%

AAII Disclaimer

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