4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: National Bank of Greece

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Based on the aggregated intelligence of 125,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, National Bank of Greece (NBG) (NYSE: NBG) has earned a respected four-star ranking. While five-star stocks have been the best performers, our data has shown that four-star stocks still outshine the market by a significant margin and shouldn't be taken lightly; conversely, low-rated stocks have woefully lagged the market average.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at NBG's business, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

NBG facts

Headquarters (founded)	Athens, Greece (1841)
Market Cap	$7.97 billion
Industry	Diversified Banks
TTM Revenue	$6.96 billion
Return on Equity (average, last three years)	21.5%
Dividend Yield	3.5%
Competitors	HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC), Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE: RBS)
CAPS members bullish on NBG also bullish on	General Electric (NYSE: GE), Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX)
CAPS members bearish on NBG also bearish on	JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), AIG (NYSE: AIG)

Sources: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and Motley Fool CAPS. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over on CAPS, fully 111 of the 117 All-Star members who have rated NBG -- some 95% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include rbgibbons and CashMyChips, both of whom are ranked in the top 20% of our community.

In late October, rbgibbons noted that National Bank of Greece "has good growth, a strong balance sheet, and good market share. Plus, the government intervention seems like it won't dilute common shareholders. Seems like a decent bet for a rebound."

In a pitch on the very same day, CashMyChips shares that sentiment and highlights the stock's cheapish valuation (which is even lower today):

This is the biggest bank in Greece, has been growing profits rapidly, but has a very low P/E around 7 (with forward P/E around 5).

It is well capitalized, has no exposure to American mortgage based instruments, and is not heavily dependant on credit markets as it is a more traditional bank that makes loans from customer savings. It is heavily invested in nearby rapidly growing markets like eastern europe and Turkey, where it provides basic financial services.

What do you think about National Bank of Greece, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 125,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.

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