September 28, 2023
Top 10 Stock Asia Cement Hold Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: Asia Cement – Top 10 Stock in Water Efficiency Leaders


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Asia Cement is listed as a top 10 stock on September 28, 2023 in the market index Water Efficiency because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company enjoys a positive professional investor sentiment, but all financial facts speak against a stock purchase. This is probably an investment into the future. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 41 (41% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Asia Cement on September 28, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Taiwan
Industry Construction Materials
Index FTSE Taiwan
Size class X-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View Asia Cement Hold

360 METRICS September 28, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Asia Cement are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Asia Cement. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 81, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 81% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 44, which means that the share price of Asia Cement is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 25, meaning that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. This means that growth is lower than for 25% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 48 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 52% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 41, Asia Cement is worse than 59% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 81) is above-average, and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below peers, the stock investing proposition case is rather weak. The stock price is expensive for a company of this size in this industry, visible in the below-average Value Rank. Growth is below the competition based on the Growth Rank, and the company has more debt than other companies, according to the Safety Rank. So the question becomes: How important is the Sentiment Rank when all others are below average? When it comes to growth, the low rating might be justified if growth is expected in the future and not yet reflected in current performance. This is often the case for companies with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In the early phases, these companies are expensive compared with their size and may have a lot of debt on their books, as is the case here, as seen in the low Value and Safety Ranks. Future growth may be the strongest investment rationale in this case, which is only reflected by institutional investors' opinions. You pay more than the market average for this stock and invest in a rather debt-loaded enterprise, but it may be worth it if the future of Asia Cemenṭ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Asia Cement very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS September 28, 2023
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 81 (better than 81% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Asia Cement is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Asia Cement. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 22 (worse than 78% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 70, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Asia Cement. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 60, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 60% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 91, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 91% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 81 (more positive than 81% compared with investment alternatives), Asia Cement has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Asia Cement Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS September 28, 2023
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 44 (worse than 56% compared with alternatives), Asia Cement shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Asia Cement. Expected dividend yields are higher than for 94% of comparable companies (a Dividend Yield rank of 94), making the stock attractive. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 53, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 53% of comparable investments. But in respect to sales and profits, the picture is reversed. Price-to-Sales is 19 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 81% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Asia Cement's sales levels. The Price-to-Profit ratio (also referred to as price-earnings (P/E) ratio) is also unfavorable for Asia Cement with a rank of 41. This means that the stock price, compared with what market professionals expect for future profits, is higher than for 59% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Asia Cement's profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation based on Asia Cement's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The company seems confident that it can generate a reasonable return on invested capital, because it pays an above-average dividend while profits are below what you would expect for a company with this stock price. If you agree with this practice and believe that profits will return to higher levels, as the current dividend policy suggests, Asia Cement may be an attractive investment. If this is not the case, you may want to be careful with this stock as it is also expensive compared with its expected revenue levels. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Asia Cement Growth Momentum low

GROWTH METRICS September 28, 2023
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), Asia Cement shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Asia Cement. Sales Growth has a rank of 30, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 70% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 37, and Capital Growth with 47. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 25, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 75% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Asia Cement Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS September 28, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 48 (better than 48% compared with alternatives), the company Asia Cement has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Asia Cement is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Asia Cement and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 51, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 51% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 32, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 68% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 46, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 54% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 48 (worse than 52% compared with alternatives), Asia Cement has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for Asia Cement are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Asia Cement Below-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE September 28, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 32 (worse than 68% compared with investment alternatives), Asia Cement (Construction Materials, Taiwan) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Asia Cement are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 44 (worse than 56% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 48), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 32, is a hold recommendation based on Asia Cement's financial characteristics. As the company Asia Cement's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 44), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 48), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more

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