February 22, 2024
Top 10 Stock Align Strong Buy 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: Align – Top 10 Stock in S&P 500 Index
Align is listed as a top 10 stock on February 22, 2024 in the market index S&P 500 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 78 (top 78% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Align on February 22, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Health Care Supplies |
| Index | NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, D.J. US Medical, S&P 500 |
| Size class | X-Large |
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 Align Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | February 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 27 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 49 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 94 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 78 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 78 (better than 78% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Align are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for Align. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 94, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 94% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 100 or better than 100% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 27, meaning that the share price of Align is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 49. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 78, Align is better positioned than 78% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 94) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 100), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of Aligṇ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Align very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Align is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Align. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 37 (worse than 63% 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 85, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Align. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 62, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 62% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 89, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 89% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 94 (more positive than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Align 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: Align Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Align shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Align. Price-to-Sales is 27 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 73% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Align's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 32, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Align. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 38 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 99% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation based on Align's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Align? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Align? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Align may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Align Growth Momentum low
| GROWTH METRICS | February 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 32 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 47 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 83 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 53 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 49 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 49 (better than 49% compared with alternatives), Align 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for Align. Capital Growth has a rank of 83, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 47% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 53 (above 53% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 32, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 68% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 47. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Align, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Align Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | February 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 44 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 1 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 100 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company Align has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Align is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Align. Liquidity is at 100, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 100% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 1, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 99% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 44, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 56% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives), Align has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Align Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 27 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 49 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 43 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with investment alternatives), Align (Health Care Supplies, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Align are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 27 (worse than 73% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 49) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 100), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation based on Align's financial characteristics. As the company Align's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 27) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 49), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 100) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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