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Is First Bank (FRBA) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.

Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

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.

First Bank (FRBA - Free Report) is a stock many investors are watching right now. FRBA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 7.69. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.85. FRBA's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.55 and as low as 5.38, with a median of 7.44, all within the past year.

Investors should also recognize that FRBA has a P/B ratio of 0.74. The P/B ratio is used to compare a stock's market value with 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 1.25. Over the past 12 months, FRBA's P/B has been as high as 0.93 and as low as 0.57, with a median of 0.73.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. FRBA has a P/S ratio of 1.52. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.64.

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


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