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 rely on traditional forms of analysis on key valuation metrics to find stocks that they believe are undervalued, leaving room for profits.

In addition to the Zacks Rank, investors looking for stocks with specific traits can utilize our Style Scores system. Of course, value investors will be most interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with "A" grades for Value and high Zacks Ranks are among the best value stocks available at any given moment.

One stock to keep an eye on is Metropolitan Bank Holding (MCB). MCB is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 8.69, while its industry has an average P/E of 11.21. Over the last 12 months, MCB's Forward P/E has been as high as 9.67 and as low as 5.17, with a median of 7.21.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is MCB's P/B ratio of 1.01. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. MCB's current P/B looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/B of 1.33. Over the past year, MCB's P/B has been as high as 1.05 and as low as 0.54, with a median of 0.79.

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 prefered metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. MCB has a P/S ratio of 1.47. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.86.

Finally, investors will want to recognize that MCB has a P/CF ratio of 12.53. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. MCB's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 24.89. MCB's P/CF has been as high as 14.75 and as low as 5.13, with a median of 8.16, all within the past year.

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

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