A Few Years From Now You’ll Probably Wish You’d Bought This Undervalued Stock

EQB Inc (TSX:EQB) stock has plenty of room to run.

| More on:
customer uses bank ATM

Source: Getty Images

Looking for undervalued stocks to add some alpha to your portfolio?

It’s a worthy goal, but the pickings in the value space are rather slim these days. After a two-year bull market, almost all categories of equities are costlier now than they were before. That includes even stocks in sectors that were overlooked for most of the last decade, such as financials and energy.

There are very few broad swaths of the market today that are truly cheap. For the most part, everything is priced to perfection. However, you can still find individual undervalued equities if you look hard enough. In this article, I will explore one TSX financial stock that appears to be undervalued at today’s price.

EQB Inc

EQB Inc (TSX:EQB) is a Canadian bank best known as “Canada’s challenger bank.” Its claim to fame is having a 100% branchless model that helps it save on overhead costs. It is also well known for offering guaranteed investment certificates (GICs) with higher yields than those offered by the Big Six banks. Trading at 10.2 times earnings and 1.3 times book value, it is considerably cheaper than the average TSX bank stock.

A cheap valuation

EQB Inc’s main claim to fame is its fairly cheap valuation. At today’s price, it trades at:

  • 10.2 times adjusted earnings.
  • 11 times reported earnings.
  • 3.7 times sales.
  • 1.3 times book value.

This is considerably cheaper than the average large Canadian bank, as the sector trades at about 15 times earnings on average. It is also considerably cheaper than the big US “money centre banks,” although those are so different in terms of size and geography that they aren’t really part of EQB’s peer group. The discount to other Canadian banks is definitely meaningful, however.

High growth and margins

When you see a stock that trades at low multiples, your first instinct is to suspect that it isn’t growing, or isn’t very profitable, or is overly risky. Risk is possibly a concern with EQB, but a lack of growth or profits is not. The company grew its revenues, earnings, and equity at the following rates in the trailing 12-month (TTM) period:

  • Revenue: 22.6%.
  • Earnings: 5.8%.
  • Equity: 17.4%.

These are pretty admirable rates of growth. The growth rates over the last five years were quite high as well. Additionally, EQB is quite profitable, boasting the following margins and returns on equity/capital:

  • Net margin: 35%.
  • Return on equity: 13.5%.
  • Return on assets: 0.75%.

Overall, these are pretty good metrics.

Plenty of room to run

A final factor that EQB Inc has going for it is its relatively small size. EQB’s market capitalization is just $4.4 billion, less than one-twentieth the size of a typical Big Six bank. This means that the bank has plenty of room for growth and many new markets to expand into. The bank has no operations outside of Canada whatsoever, so that is one potential growth opportunity it can tap into. On the whole, EQB Inc is a small, scrappy bank with a lot of room to run.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium service or advisor. We’re Motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer, so we sometimes publish articles that may not be in line with recommendations, rankings or other content.

Fool contributor Andrew Button has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends EQB. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

More on Bank Stocks

hand stacks coins
Dividend Stocks

2 Dividend Stocks to Double Up on Right Now

If you want returns and income, then consider these top dividend stocks for long-term passive income.

Read more »

dividends grow over time
Bank Stocks

3 Top Financial Sector Stocks for Canadian Investors in 2025

These top Canadian financial stocks have the potential to deliver solid returns in 2025 and beyond.

Read more »

An investor uses a tablet
Bank Stocks

Outlook for Bank of Montreal Stock in 2025

Despite its mixed financial performance in recent quarters, BMO’s consistent focus on long-term growth initiatives and U.S. market expansion make…

Read more »

A close up color image of a small green plant sprouting out of a pile of Canadian dollar coins "loonies."
Stocks for Beginners

Invest $18,000 in This Dividend Stock for $9,332.20 in Passive Income

One of the best dividend stocks out there is also one of the safest for creating a perfect passive income…

Read more »

open vault at bank
Bank Stocks

Better Bank Stock: Royal Bank vs TD Bank?

Royal Bank and TD Bank have delivered very different results for investors in the past few years.

Read more »

crypto, chart, stocks
Bank Stocks

2 Top TSX Bank Stocks to Buy in January

After their recent declines, these two value bank stocks look even more attractive to buy in January and hold for…

Read more »

An investor uses a tablet
Bank Stocks

Outlook for Royal Bank of Canada Stock in 2025

Here’s why any drop in Royal Bank stock in 2025 could be an opportunity for long-term investors to buy it…

Read more »

Paper Canadian currency of various denominations
Bank Stocks

Is TD Bank Stock a Buy at $82?

Down almost 25% from all-time highs, TD Bank is a good stock to own given its cheap valuation and tasty…

Read more »