A value trap is a stock or other investment that appears attractively priced because it has been trading at low valuation metrics, such as price to earnings (P/E), price to cash flow (P/CF), or price to book value (P/B) for an extended period.

A value trap persuades investors because the trade appears inexpensive relative to historical valuation multiples of the stock, industry peers, or the prevailing market multiple. A value trap can drop further after an investor buys into the company.