Is Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp. overvalued or undervalued?

As of 27 June 2025, Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp. has moved from a fair to an expensive valuation grade. The company appears to be overvalued based on its current metrics. The P/E ratio stands at 17, while the industry average P/E is significantly lower at approximately 11.38 for Univest Financial Corp., which is considered very attractive. Additionally, the EV to EBITDA ratio of 10.21 further supports the notion of overvaluation when compared to peers like CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. at 10.04.
In terms of key financial ratios, Peapack-Gladstone's Price to Book Value is 0.88, and its ROE is 5.17%, both of which are underwhelming compared to the competitive landscape. The company's recent stock performance has outpaced the S&P 500 over the last week, returning 6.28% compared to the index's 3.44%, but this short-term gain does not mitigate the overall overvaluation indicated by the ratios and peer comparisons.