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Is Flagstar Bancorp (FBC) a Great Value Stock 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.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. 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 company to watch right now is Flagstar Bancorp . FBC is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.73, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.38. Over the past year, FBC's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.07 and as low as 4.56, with a median of 7.48.

Investors should also recognize that FBC has a P/B ratio of 0.78. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. FBC's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 0.99. FBC's P/B has been as high as 1.12 and as low as 0.65, with a median of 0.90, over the past year.

Value investors also love the P/S ratio, which is calculated by simply dividing a stock's price with the company's sales. This is a prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. FBC has a P/S ratio of 1.37. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.74.

Finally, our model also underscores that FBC has a P/CF ratio of 4.89. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 9.54. Over the past year, FBC's P/CF has been as high as 5.08 and as low as 3.28, with a median of 3.84.

If you're looking for another solid Financial - Savings and Loan value stock, take a look at Waterstone Financial (WSBF - Free Report) . WSBF is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Additionally, Waterstone Financial has a P/B ratio of 1.09 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 0.99. For WSBF, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.31, as low as 0.94, with a median of 1.15 over the past year.

These are only a few of the key metrics included in Flagstar Bancorp and Waterstone Financial strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, FBC and WSBF look like an impressive value stock at the moment.


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