Wall Street Loves These 7 Value Stocks

Warren Buffett said it best: “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.”

If you buy a stock that’s priced at a low nominal dollar amount, or you buy a stock that has declined significantly in a short period of time, you’re certainly buying cheap. But you still might not be getting value. That’s because, in value investing, what ultimately matters is whether the stock is underpriced in relation to how the company’s operations have performed and/or are expected to perform.

That’s also why value investing is so difficult: because you’re ultimately looking for good companies that are trading for less than they’re worth. And certainly in the internet age, good companies don’t remain a secret forever.

Today, we’re going to try to help you with this delicate balancing act by pointing you toward some of the best value stocks you can buy right now. Each of these stocks is highly rated by the professional analyst community, but each is also trading at prices that indicate investors don’t fully appreciate the potential.

Editor’s Note: Tabular data presented in this article is up-to-date as of June 29, 2026.

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Disclaimer: This article does not constitute individualized investment advice. Individual securities, funds, and/or other investments appear for your consideration and not as personalized investment recommendations. Act at your own discretion.

What Is a Value Stock?

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A value stock is a company that is perceived to be trading below some sort of intrinsic value. This is markedly different from many growth stocks, which typically trade at inflated market values based on investor interest or future growth potential.

Value stocks are often boring or steady names with established businesses, whereas a growth stock is likelier to be some flashy name with big ideas but no profits or tangible assets to speak of. Sure, flashy names are definitely interesting to watch. But they are simply not opportunities that most value stock investors would even consider, given their reliance on the promise of future growth rather than tangible value today.

So what’s the easiest way to separate a true value stock from overhyped pretenders? There’s no hard and fast rule, but there are a few metrics to watch, including:

• Price-to-earnings ratio: Stock prices should be based on something. One popular way is by normalizing the price per share by earnings per share to see how “cheap” or “expensive” the stock is vs. its peers. Price-to-earning (P/E) ratio can be backward-looking (usually the past 12 months’ worth of financials), though more useful is forward P/E, which looks ahead toward estimates for the coming year. For context, the average forward P/E of the S&P 500 lately is a little over 20.
• Price-to-sales ratio: Since profitability sometimes isn’t the best indicator, another point of reference worth considering is the market value of a stock when compared to its revenue. Value stocks typically trade for only about 2X their sales, while high-growth stocks can sometimes trade at price-to-sales (P/S) ratios of 10 or even 20. That’s a big risk if those sales don’t come in as expected.
• Dividend yield (and payout ratio): Value stocks often have tangible and consistent profits, and they frequently share those profits with investors. Thus, many value stocks are also dividend-paying stocks. But don’t just go chasing a high yield; some dividend stocks offer unsustainable payouts that are at risk of being cut down the road. Compare the annual dividends paid to the earnings per share to make sure the company in question isn’t overstretched. Generally, paying out 70% of profits via dividends leaves enough wiggle room, but a healthy payout ratio might differ from one industry to the next.
• A company’s stock price trend: Value stocks as a group are, over the long term, less volatile than growth stocks. Just understand that the broader environment or unexpected headlines can upset even the most stolid blue chip.

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Does a Low Stock Price Mean a Good Stock Value?

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Think about the difference between buying a hidden gem at a flea market vs. a piece of junk that’s better off in the trash. Both are “cheap,” but one is a value, while the other is more of a “value trap.”

You’ll find the same issue when hunting for values in the stock market.

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For instance, some stocks trade for very low price-to-earnings or price-to-sales ratio because Wall Street is expecting the actual numbers to come in much lower in the years ahead. If the experts are proven right, the stock isn’t a bargain at all. Rather, it has been discounted because it isn’t as valuable as it used to be.

Just as growth stocks can sometimes be valued based on their future operations instead of their current results, value stocks can also be valued based on their outlook—and if that outlook is grim, investors might not put much weight in current profits that are likely to vanish over the next year or two.

However, sometimes a bit of bad news results in a temporary short-term headwind, and value investors are often the first to swoop in for bargain purchases when that happens. Just be careful: It can be difficult to tell the difference between a stock that’s priced low for a reason, and a true bargain value investment.

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How Do Value Stocks Differ From Growth Stocks?

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Small biotech companies researching a potential cancer cure or tech startups developing a potential artificial intelligence (AI) gamechanger could become billion-dollar giants … or they might disappear overnight if their plans don’t pan out.

These are fundamentally “growth stocks” that are dependent on revenue and earnings growth that will justify their share price. Just think about a company like Tesla (TSLA) that debuted on Wall Street in 2010 even though it was unprofitable and had only manufactured less than 2,000 cars before going public and had a mere 4,000 additional pre-orders on the books. It was a risky bet to be sure, but now Tesla is the envy of the entire EV industry and cranks out millions of cars—and has made early investors a bundle along the way.

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Value stocks can make a bundle for investors, too, but in a very different way. They’re more likely to be companies such as traditional automakers with deep pockets and tons of hard assets like production facilities. Sure, it might be impossible for an automaker like Toyota (TM) to double, considering it is already the world’s No. 1 automaker with about $300 billion in revenue and nearly 11 million vehicles sold annually. But growth isn’t the appeal here … rather, the underlying value and established operations of Volkswagen is the draw.

Lastly, value stocks and growth stocks don’t always have to be opposites. From time to time, Wall Street will underestimate a high-growth firm, and as a result, you’ll have a growth stock trading at value prices.

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The Top Value Picks to Buy Now

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Today, I’ll look at some of the best value stocks to buy as rated by consensus analyst ratings from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The consensus rating is the average of all known analyst ratings of the stock, boiled down to a numerical system where …

1-1.5 = Strong Buy
1.5-2.5 = Buy
2.5-3.5 = Hold
3.5-4.5 = Sell
4.5-5 = Strong Sell

In short: The lower the number, the better the overall consensus view on the stock. All stocks here are rated at least 2.0 or below, meaning at worst they’re solidly in the Buy camp, though most of the picks are considered Strong Buys as we enter 2026. And the stocks are listed in reverse order of their consensus rating (from worst to best).

All stocks also have forward P/Es that are below both the S&P 500 and their sectors, as well as PEGs below 1.0.

As iconic investor Warren Buffett once wrote, “In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” The following seven stocks are good examples of value stocks with real weight.

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7. Capital One Financial

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• Sector: Financials
• Market capitalization: $125.1 billion
• Dividend yield: 1.6%
• Forward P/E: 9.9
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.61 (Buy)

Capital One Financial (COF)—the entity responsible for “What’s in your wallet?” being etched into our collective consciences—is a financial hybrid whose operations include consumer banking, commercial banking, and credit cards.

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How is COF a hybrid? Well, credit cards typically work in what’s called the “four corners model.” In this model, 1.) financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Citigroup (C) are responsible for a cardholder’s account, while 2.) payment processors like Visa (V) or Mastercard (MA) are technological middlemen that help facilitate transactions between 3.) cardholders and 4.) merchants. Capital One is one of those financial institutions, and for many years, it had issued both Visa and Mastercard cards and been a part of the “four corners model.”

But that’s not the only model. A handful of companies, American Express (AXP) chief among them, operate in a “three corners model” where one company is responsible for both financial accounts and the payment network. And in May 2025, Capital One officially joined that crowd with the closing of its purchase of three-corners operator Discover Financial.

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“The acquisition of Discover fundamentally changes Capital One’s positioning within the financial ecosystem,” says Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, who rate COF at Outperform (equivalent of Buy). “Historically viewed primarily as a high-quality credit card lender with strong underwriting and marketing capabilities, COF is now evolving into a vertically integrated payments platform with ownership of a proprietary payments network—a scarce strategic asset possessed by only a handful of companies globally.”

And this year, the company swallowed up Brex, a fintech company that provides corporate credit cards, business banking accounts, and spend management software. “At its core, the acquisition of Brex should allow Capital One to extend beyond its traditional strength as a consumer and commercial credit card issuer and move more decisively into a software-enabled payments ecosystem,” KBW adds.

Following a roughly three-year bull run, COF has dropped into bear-market territory in 2026. Shares now trade at just 10 times earnings estimates and at a PEG of 0.8, implying it’s underpriced compared to its growth prospects. Wall Street seems to agree, pitting 18 Buys against five Holds and no Sells. That puts it among the analysts’ best value stocks to buy right now.

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Need Help Picking Stocks? Consider These Top-Rated Services

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6. Cigna

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• Sector: Healthcare
• Market capitalization: $73.7 billion
• Dividend yield: 2.2%
• Forward P/E: 9.2
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.54 (Buy)

Cigna Group (CI) is perhaps best known for the Cigna brand, which is one of America’s largest health insurers, offering health, dental, and other plans. But Cigna actually makes up less than half of Cigna Group’s revenues—60% come from its Evernorth Health Services unit, which includes its Express Scripts pharmacy and pharmacy benefit management businesses, Accredo specialty pharmacy, MDLive telehealth, and more.

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“Cigna’s managed care portfolio targets strong growth business lines, and is highly diversified, with a relative concentration in the stable (administrative services only) business,” says Oppenheimer, which rates shares at Outperform. “We believe the market is undervaluing the opportunity from the highly accretive Express Scripts deal, which should pay strong long-term returns for shareholders given the diversification, opportunity to cross-sell its services, and a more equity-friendly capital structure. Furthermore, Cigna typically trades at a discount to its peers, leaving upside from multiple expansion.”

Oppenheimer also modestly raised its earnings estimates for the next three years following Cigna’s Q1 earnings report, which included an announcement that it would be exiting Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans at the end of this year.

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CI currently enjoys 19 Buy-equivalent calls, which compares nicely to just four Holds and no Sells. It trades for a reasonable 9 times earnings estimates and a PEG of 0.9.

Truist Managing Director David MacDonald (Buy) believes its discount is “tied largely to what we view as underappreciated value of the company’s more limited government exposure, Evernorth division, and strong free cash flow-generating business.”

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5. Citizens Financial Group

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• Sector: Financials
• Market capitalization: $29.8 billion
• Dividend yield: 2.6%
• Forward P/E: 12.8
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.50 (Strong Buy)

Citizens Financial Group (CFG) is the holding company behind Citizens Bank, a large regional bank with roughly 1,000 branches serving 14 East Coast and Midwest states as well as Washington, D.C. It provides a wide variety of consumer and commercial banking services, including deposits, mortgages, credit cards, business loans, wealth management, foreign exchange, corporate finance, and more.

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One noteworthy area of growth for CFG is Citizens Private Bank, which offers personal banking, wealth management, and other services to people with at least $10 million in net worth and at least $5 million in liquid assets. Since launching near the end of 2023, Private Bank has accumulated $16.6 billion in deposits, $7.7 billion in loans, and $10.1 billion in client assets.

“Positive policies around deregulation, looser capital requirements, and more stress test transparency stand to benefit CFG,” says Argus’s Heal, who rates Citizens’ shares at Buy. “Management has remained confident that Private Bank will deliver 20% to 25% return on equity for FY26. Additionally, the bank continues to show strong performance in the New York metro region.”

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“Among large regional banks, our bias is to own stocks with 1) above-average EPS growth, 2) above-average NII growth, and 3) improving loan/deposit growth dynamics—all of which CFG possesses today,” add Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts, who rate the stock at Outperform. “We concede that CFG’s valuation discount has all but been eliminated, but we remain constructive on the 400 [basis points] of ‘high confidence ROTCE improvement’ that is set to unfold over the next two years.”

All told, CFG has a broad bull camp of 16 Buys versus two Holds and no Sells. Part of the appeal is a cheap forward P/E below 13 that compares well to the financial sector’s 15, as well as a very low PEG of just 0.55 currently.

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4. Bank of America

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• Sector: Financials
• Market capitalization: $411.3 billion
• Dividend yield: 1.9%
• Forward P/E: 12.6
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.42 (Strong Buy)

Bank of America (BAC) is one of the world’s largest banks, serving roughly 70 million Americans through 3,800 branches and 15,000 ATMs across 39 states. However, BofA is much, much more than its consumer business—it also provides financial products and services for small and midsized businesses, large corporations, institutional investors, and even governments. Its offerings range from checking and savings accounts to commercial loans, trade finance, treasury management, and securities clearing.

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BofA has been caught up in financials’ broad slump in 2026, which has put the stock further into value territory. BAC’s forward P/E of less than 13 is cheaper than the broader market, and decently inexpensive compared to the financial sector (15). A PEG of 0.85 shows that it’s a little undervalued in relation to its projected growth.

Part of banks’ pain in 2026 has come from worries about artificial intelligence taking over their business models. But Wall Street remains plenty bullish on the space, and on BAC in particular.

“We do not see AI tools as an existential threat, rather we see them as a tool to enable improving profitability,” say Morgan Stanley analysts. “We expect operational efficiency to improve across our coverages as banks utilize AI tools to ramp throughput. Across our large cap banks, we expect AI tools will help drive a productivity gains of 20-50% across a wide range of functions including financial advisors, wholesale banking and markets teams and operational staff.”

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As for BofA specifically? Morgan Stanley’s Betsy L. Graseck rates BofA at Overweight (equivalent of Buy) and calls the stock her “top pick” in 2026, adding that “BAC’s investments in AI are already delivering efficiencies.” She’s one of 22 Buy-equivalent calls on the stock, which compares well to just two Holds and zero Sells.

“Investor Day goals outlined for the company at large over the medium term included deposit growth of 4%, loan growth of 5%, operating leverage of 200-300 basis points leading to an efficiency ratio of 55%-59%, EPS growth of at least 12%, and a return on tangible common equity of 15% in the near term and 16%-18% in the medium term,” adds Argus Research analyst Stephen Biggar, who also rates the stock at Buy and recently upgraded his price target (to $62) on the back of management’s raised guidance for net interest income growth. “We believe the targets are achievable given the company’s breadth of products and investment capabilities, and are competitive enough to push BAC into the upper range on these metrics in the peer group.”

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3. United Airlines

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• Sector: Industrials
• Market capitalization: $43.9 billion
• Dividend yield: N/A
• Forward P/E: 14.4
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.38 (Strong Buy)

United Airlines (UAL) is the largest airline in the world by revenue passenger miles, flying 175 million people to more than 350 destinations on six continents.

Airlines in general are strongly tethered to consumer demand and economic strength, both of which are extremely difficult to handicap under the current policy environment. Heading into this year, the airline industry in general was expected to benefit from (among other things) low supply growth as well as easy comparisons to 2025, when extreme macroeconomic volatility rocked the industry. So if the economy did pick up, and especially if the current administration did go through with any of its proposed stimulus measures, those could be considered additional tailwinds for airlines.

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Further muddying the water was America’s war with Iran, which has whipsawed the stock. UAL shares dropped into bear-market territory earlier this year but are now up 60% year-to-date amid the countries’ ceasefire.

Here’s what BofA Global Research analysts Andrew Didora and John Gellene (Buy) had to say about the scenario back in April:

“We are lowering our EPS estimates given jet fuel nearly doubled in March. This is no surprise given the current environment, and we see two scenarios emerging from the current situation: 1) fuel stays higher for longer which results in airlines with negative or low margins either shrinking meaningfully or considering alternatives or 2) a quicker than expected end to the conflict drives a robust earnings recovery. We assume the industry benefitting from the second scenario and airlines with good margins and strong balance sheets emerging stronger from the first scenario.”

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Things have certainly improved since then. “The current setup is favorable for the U.S. airlines sector,” says UBS’s Atul Maheswari, who rates United at Buy and calls it one of the firm’s top picks in the space. “Jet fuel price has declined -30% over the past month while demand has continued to hold firm despite nearly around 20% increase in fares. At the same time, supply is tepid … This “perfect” combo is likely to push [third-quarter] EPS guides well above current consensus, driving upward earnings revisions following the reporting season.”

Currently, 24 analysts are positive on UAL, while only one calls it a Hold and one says it’s a Sell. On the valuation front, UAL remains plenty cheap. The company trades for just 14 times earnings estimates and boasts a PEG around 0.9.

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2. Smurfit Westrock

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• Sector: Consumer discretionary
• Market capitalization: $24.2 billion
• Dividend yield: 3.8%
• Forward P/E: 19.7
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.33 (Strong Buy)

One of the best value stocks to buy in 2026 also happens to be on our list of the best growth stocks right now.

Smurfit Westrock (SW)—the product of a 2024 merger of Ireland’s Smurfit Kappa and America’s Westrock—is a global manufacturer of consumer packaging, corrugated packaging, and a variety of paper products. And by virtue of that merger, the combined entity is now one of the largest packaging providers in the world, with operations in 40 countries.

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Consider Smurfit Westrock an interesting beneficiary of technological trends—specifically, the continued rise of e-commerce. As people increasingly move away from buying in brick-and-mortar stores and toward online shopping … well, those products have to get shipped in something, and that’s precisely where Smurfit comes in.

“The company manufactures and sells paper and packaging solutions for the consumer and corrugated markets and, in our view, is well positioned to benefit from long-term growth in e-commerce,” writes Argus Research analyst Alexandra Yates, who rates SW shares at Buy. “Earnings have been a bit murky, though we expect improved transparency in upcoming quarters, and cash flow generation is solid. The balance sheet is clean. Additionally, tariff pressures have been mitigated with successful reshoring efforts.”

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SW has picked up quite a few covering analysts of late, and they’re unanimously bullish, with all 15 calling the stock a Buy. Truist’s Michael Roxland is also among those Buys, citing numerous drivers, including an “improving containerboard cycle, which we believe is entering a ‘golden age’ driven by balanced supply and demand.” The consensus expectation is for Smurfit to grow its earnings at a healthy 23% annual clip on average.

But SW stock also has bargain-priced value metrics; its forward P/E of below 20, while nearly on par with the market, is below the consumer discretionary sector’s forward P/E (25), and it’s still cheap compared to its high expected growth based on a PEG of just 0.3.

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1. Darling Ingredients

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• Sector: Consumer staples
• Market capitalization: $8.5 billion
• Dividend yield: N/A
• Forward P/E: 10.4
• Consensus analyst rating: 1.25 (Strong Buy)

Darling Ingredients (DAR) is a global producer and seller of sustainable natural ingredients, which it creates from edible and inedible bio-nutrients. It operates in three segments: Food, Feed, and Fuel.

Readers with more sensitive stomachs might want to skip a paragraph.

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The Food segment turns beef and pork bone chips, beef hides, and pig and fish skins into collagen; processes intestines into natural casings, refines animal fat into food-grade fat, and more. The Feed segment creates non-food-grade oils and protein meals, cookie meal used in poultry and swine food, even blood plasma powder and hemoglobin. And its fuels division turns organic sludge and food waste into biogas, converts certain animal byproducts into low-grade energy sources, and more.

BMO Capital Markets’ Andrew Strelzik (Outperform) calls DAR “one of our favorite investment ideas.” He said he believes the company is “in the early innings of capitalizing on inflection in fundamentals” following the company’s recent better-than-expected quarterly earnings report. And after the company’s Investor Day event, he said he “came away with greater confidence in DAR’s multi-year EBITDA and free cash flow trajectory.”

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Strelzik is one of 10 Buy calls on DAR shares, contested by one Hold and one Sell. Those ratings are driven by wild annual earnings-growth estimates of nearly 140% on average, as well as thin valuations for that growth: a forward P/E around 10 that’s less than half the consumer staples sector, and a PEG just below 0.1.

That puts it among Wall Street’s best value stocks, and a true, ahem, darling of the Wall Street analyst set.

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Should I Buy Value Stocks or a Value Exchange-Traded Fund?

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Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, provide a diversified way to play the stock market in one single holding. And perhaps unsurprisingly, there are a host of ETFs that seek to provide groups of value stocks in one place.

Diversification is definitely something to consider, but also keep in mind that it’s difficult to apply the same screening methodology on an ETF that you do on individual stocks. So if you care about popping the hood and looking around for yourself, investing in individual stocks might be preferable—even if it’s a bit more work.

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Related: 5 Best Stock Recommendation Services [Stock Picking + Tips]

Stock recommendation services are popular shortcuts that help millions of investors make educated decisions without having to spend hours of time doing research. But just like, say, a driving shortcut, the quality of stock recommendations can vary widely—and who you’re willing to listen to largely boils down to track record and trust.

The natural question, then, is “Which services are worth a shot?” We explore some of the best (and best-known) stock recommendation services.

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The vast majority of American dividend stocks pay regular, reliable payouts—and they do so at a more frequent clip (quarterly) than dividend stocks in most other countries (typically every six months or year).

Still, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “it’d sure be nice to collect these dividends more often,” you don’t have to look far. While they’re not terribly common, American exchanges boast dozens of monthly dividend stocks.

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