Is Business First Bancshares (BFST) Stock Undervalued Right Now?

The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use fundamental analysis and traditional valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are being undervalued by the market at large.Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.One company value investors might notice is Business First Bancshares (BFST). BFST is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 8.38 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 8.58. Over the past 52 weeks, BFST's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.60 and as low as 7.60, with a median of 9.20. Investors should also recognize that BFST has a P/B ratio of 0.93. 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 stock's P/B looks attractive against its industry's average P/B of 0.95. Within the past 52 weeks, BFST's P/B has been as high as 1.41 and as low as 0.85, with a median of 1.00.Value investors also use the P/S ratio. The P/S ratio is calculated as price divided by sales. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. BFST has a P/S ratio of 1.41. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.8.Finally, investors should note that BFST has a P/CF ratio of 8.69. This figure highlights a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find firms that are undervalued when considering their impressive cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 16.15. Over the past 52 weeks, BFST's P/CF has been as high as 11.79 and as low as 8.23, with a median of 9.42.Northeast Community Bancorp (NECB) may be another strong Banks - Northeast stock to add to your shortlist. NECB is a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) stock with a Value grade of A.Additionally, Northeast Community Bancorp has a P/B ratio of 0.89 while its industry's price-to-book ratio sits at 0.95. For NECB, this valuation metric has been as high as 1.41, as low as 0.84, with a median of 1.02 over the past year.These are only a few of the key metrics included in Business First Bancshares and Northeast Community Bancorp strong Value grade, but they help show that the stocks are likely undervalued right now. When factoring in the strength of its earnings outlook, BFST and NECB look like an impressive value stock at the moment.#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow.One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Business First Bancshares, Inc. (BFST): Free Stock Analysis Report Northeast Community Bancorp Inc. (NECB): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks