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Should Value Investors Buy BCB Bancorp NJ (BCBP) Stock?

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Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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 a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

On top of the Zacks Rank, investors can also look at our innovative Style Scores system to find stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will want to focus on the "Value" category. Stocks with high Zacks Ranks and "A" grades for Value will be some of the highest-quality value stocks on the market today.

BCB Bancorp NJ (BCBP - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. BCBP 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 6.46, which compares to its industry's average of 8.31. Over the past 52 weeks, BCBP's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.82 and as low as 6.42, with a median of 8.27.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is BCBP's P/B ratio of 1.20. 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. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.48. BCBP's P/B has been as high as 1.38 and as low as 1.05, with a median of 1.23, 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. Some people prefer this metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement. This means it could be a truer performance indicator. BCBP has a P/S ratio of 2.54. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 2.75.

Finally, we should also recognize that BCBP has a P/CF ratio of 7.04. 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 14.11. Over the past 52 weeks, BCBP's P/CF has been as high as 9.03 and as low as 6.33, with a median of 7.90.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that BCB Bancorp NJ is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, BCBP feels like a great value stock at the moment.


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