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Are Investors Undervaluing Horizon Bancorp (HBNC) 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.

Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

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 stock to keep an eye on is Horizon Bancorp (HBNC). HBNC 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 9.29, which compares to its industry's average of 10.15. Over the past year, HBNC's Forward P/E has been as high as 12.04 and as low as 5.19, with a median of 10.04.

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Another valuation metric that we should highlight is HBNC's P/B ratio of 0.77. 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 solid versus its industry's average P/B of 0.92. HBNC's P/B has been as high as 1.36 and as low as 0.55, with a median of 1.16, over the past year.

Finally, investors should note that HBNC has a P/CF ratio of 6.04. 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. This stock's P/CF looks attractive against its industry's average P/CF of 11.35. Over the past 52 weeks, HBNC's P/CF has been as high as 11.96 and as low as 4.38, with a median of 9.41.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that Horizon Bancorp is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, HBNC sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


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