Is HomeTrust Bancshares (HTBI) a Great Value Stock Right Now?

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 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.

HomeTrust Bancshares (HTBI) is a stock many investors are watching right now. HTBI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

We should also highlight that HTBI has a P/B ratio of 0.99. 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 1.93. Over the past year, HTBI's P/B has been as high as 1.32 and as low as 0.92, with a median of 1.20.

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 popular metric because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement, so they are often considered a better performance indicator. HTBI has a P/S ratio of 2.56. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 3.15.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that HTBI has a P/CF ratio of 8.06. This metric takes into account a company's operating cash flow and can be used to find stocks that are undervalued based on their solid cash outlook. HTBI's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 12.90. HTBI's P/CF has been as high as 18.21 and as low as 7.46, with a median of 14.74, all within the past year.

If you're looking for another solid Banks - Southeast value stock, take a look at Regions Financial (RF). RF is a # 2 (Buy) stock with a Value score of A.

Shares of Regions Financial currently holds a Forward P/E ratio of 9.34, and its PEG ratio is 0.31. In comparison, its industry sports average P/E and PEG ratios of 10.23 and 0.43.

RF's price-to-earnings ratio has been as high as 12.16 and as low as 7.77, with a median of 9.94, while its PEG ratio has been as high as 1.48 and as low as 0.27, with a median of 0.67, all within the past year.

Regions Financial also has a P/B ratio of 1.42 compared to its industry's price-to-book ratio of 1.93. Over the past year, its P/B ratio has been as high as 1.45, as low as 1.11, with a median of 1.28.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that HomeTrust Bancshares and Regions Financial are likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, HTBI and RF sticks out as one of the market's strongest value stocks.

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HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (HTBI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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