Should Value Investors Pick First Business (FBIZ) Stock Now?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put, First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, First Business Financial Services has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.01, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 compares in at about 19.06. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level First Business puts current PE ratio somewhat below its midpoint (which is 12.57) over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 15.07. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that First Business Financial Services has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 9.45, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for First Business’ stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, First Business Financial Services has a P/S ratio of about 1.72. This is a bit lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.64 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

If anything, FBIZ is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, First Business Financial Services currently has a Value Style Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes FBIZ a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though First Business Financial Services might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of D and a Momentum score of B. This gives FBIZ a VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>).

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been mixed. The current quarter has seen two estimates go lower in the past sixty days compared to one higher, while current year estimate has seen three upward and no downward revision in the same time period.

This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has fallen 5.5% in the past two months, while the current year estimate has risen 2.8%. in the same time period. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

First Business Financial Services, Inc. Price and Consensus

First Business Financial Services, Inc. price-consensus-chart | First Business Financial Services, Inc. Quote

This mixed trend is why the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

First Business Financial Services is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 40% out of more than 250 industries) and Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past one year, the sector has clearly underperformed the broader market, as you can see below:

So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn favorable in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

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