Stock fact sheet · data as of
Community Bank System, Inc. (CBU): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol CBU · Financial Services · Banks - Regional · United States · Blend
Is CBU undervalued?
CBU closed at 65.73 on 5 Nov 2026, 17% below the GLS average fair value of 79.21 from 9 models (5 of them above the price). That is a moderate margin of safety: the stock passes the "below fair value" Wheel Trade Filter, with room for a bigger discount on the Value part.
The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 27.96 while Graham Growth gives 135.47. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, neither cheapness nor growth clearly wins for CBU, so the nightly engine files it under Blend (value score 50, growth score 50, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for CBU
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 79.13 | +20% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 61.91 | -6% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 135.47 | +106% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 50.44 | -23% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 69.09 | +5% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 124.18 | +89% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 115.48 | +76% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 27.96 | -57% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 49.26 | -25% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -287.31 | -537% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 67.00 | +2% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
On financial health CBU scores 9/9 (Piotroski): most of the nine tests - positive earnings and cash flow, falling debt, rising margins and turnover - are passed, which is the kind of balance sheet a wheel trader is happy to be assigned. The GLS Moat score is 7.2 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 7.6%, ROE 10.5%, ROA 1.2% - with debt at 0.37 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 6.7%.
The dividend yield is 2.89% at a payout ratio of 42%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold. Revenue comes mainly from Insurance Services 54%, Wealth Management Services 46% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 3/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 9 / 9 | ROIC | 7.6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 7.2 / 10 | ROE | 10.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.37 | ROA | 1.2% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 6.7% | Payout ratio | 42% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 3 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 43: Weak
CBU scores 43 out of 100 on the Wheel Score, in the Weak band (under 50): it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (145 open interest, 29 a day), and the parts are thin too - value fair, premium good, moat good, health strong, red flags good, option trading weak, stability fair. The score is not a judgement on the company; it says the price, quality and premium do not line up for selling puts on it today.
Implied volatility is 30% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. Chain open interest is thin - 145 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 501k shares a day on a market cap of $3.4B, with a beta of 0.77 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (145 open interest, 29 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Fair | 17% below fair value | |
| Premium | Good | implied volatility 30% | |
| Moat | Good | moat 7.2/10 | |
| Health | Strong | Piotroski 9/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 80/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 29 contracts a day, 145 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.77, $3.4B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today. The next ex-dividend date is 15 Dec 2026 (0.4900 per share).
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Regional
The 12 companies below are the closest to Community Bank System, Inc. by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOWN TowneBank | 37.34 | 38.29 | +2% | 31Weak | $3.5B |
| SFNC Simmons First National Corporation | 23.64 | 25.84 | +9% | 34Weak | $3.4B |
| FFBC First Financial Bancorp. | 33.39 | 76.46 | +56% | 47Weak | $3.5B |
| SBCF Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida | 34.27 | 35.62 | +4% | 37Weak | $3.3B |
| MCHB Mechanics Bank | 15.03 | 24.24 | +38% | 49Weak | $3.3B |
| PRK Park National Corporation | 182.71 | 128.99 | -42% | 40Weak | $3.3B |
| NIC Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. | 175.24 | 189.31 | +7% | 38Weak | $3.6B |
| RNST Renasant Corporation | 40.63 | 54.12 | +25% | 44Weak | $3.7B |
| BKU BankUnited, Inc. | 44.96 | 56.42 | +20% | 75Good | $3.2B |
| FIBK First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. | 39.10 | 44.93 | +13% | 70Good | $3.7B |
| BANFP BFC Capital Trust II PFD TR 7.20% | 25.80 | 55.34 | +53% | 28No options | $3.7B |
| FHB First Hawaiian, Inc. | 25.87 | 38.94 | +34% | 47Weak | $3.1B |
⚖ Compare CBU with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about CBU
Is CBU undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, moderately: at 65.73 the stock trades 17% below the average fair value of 79.21 (data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of CBU and what does it mean?
CBU scores 43 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filter 1. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for CBU?
79.21 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Community Bank System, Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 26 Jan 2027, 82 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does CBU have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 38 listed contracts with 145 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 30% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.