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Are These Finance Stocks Undervalued Right Now?

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Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use tried-and-true metrics and fundamental analysis to find companies that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One stock to keep an eye on is Markel (MKL - Free Report) . MKL is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 16.48, which compares to its industry's average of 30.44. MKL's Forward P/E has been as high as 21.02 and as low as 15.56, with a median of 18.78, all within the past year.

We should also highlight that MKL has a P/B ratio of 1.28. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 1.39. Over the past 12 months, MKL's P/B has been as high as 1.36 and as low as 1.14, with a median of 1.28.

Another great Insurance - Property and Casualty stock you could consider is Selective Insurance Group (SIGI - Free Report) , which is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value Score of A.

Shares of Selective Insurance Group are currently trading at a forward earnings multiple of 13.76 and a PEG ratio of 1.25 compared to its industry's P/E and PEG ratios of 30.44 and 3.34, respectively.

Over the last 12 months, SIGI's P/E has been as high as 16.92, as low as 12.59, with a median of 14.53, and its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.64, as low as 0.94, with a median of 1.14.

Selective Insurance Group also has a P/B ratio of 1.75 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.39. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 1.91, as low as 1.50, with a median of 1.77.

These are just a handful of the figures considered in Markel and Selective Insurance Group's great Value grade. Still, they help show that the stock is likely being undervalued at the moment. Add this to the strength of its earnings outlook, and we can clearly see that MKL and SIGI is an impressive value stock right now.


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Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (SIGI) - free report >>

Markel Group Inc. (MKL) - free report >>

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