Fact based stock research
American Equity (NYSE:AEL)

US0256762065

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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.

American Equity stock research in summary

american-equity.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 62 (better than 62% compared with investment alternatives), American Equity (Life & Health Insurance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of American Equity are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 42 (worse than 58% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 9, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57). ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 62, is a buy recommendation based on American Equity's financial characteristics. As the company American Equity shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 42 (58% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 57% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 57). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 9 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for American Equity, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more


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Country USA
Industry Life & Health Insurance
Index D.J. US Insurance
Size class X-Large

21-Mar-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.




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Research History: American Equity

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

Most recent update of the stock research: 21-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better American Equity is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 62 (better than 62% compared with investment alternatives), American Equity (Life & Health Insurance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of American Equity are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 42 (worse than 58% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 9, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 62, is a buy recommendation based on American Equity's financial characteristics. As the company American Equity shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 42 (58% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 57% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 57). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 9 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for American Equity, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of American Equity the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 42 (worse than 58% compared with alternatives), American Equity 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 American Equity. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 89 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 89% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning American Equity's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 87, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 87% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than for 69% of alternatives (only 31% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation based on American Equity's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high concerning expected revenues, the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting Group or BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than distribute it to shareholders through dividends, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more


VALUE METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
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

Last update of Value Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of American Equity; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), American Equity shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for American Equity. Capital Growth has a rank of 91, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 15% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 89 (above 89% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 3, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 97% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 15. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 57, is a buy 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 American Equity, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

Last update of Growth Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of American Equity.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 9 (better than 9% compared with alternatives), the company American Equity has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of American Equity 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 two out of three indicators above average for American Equity. Leverage is at a rank of 77, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 77% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 81, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 81% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 6, 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 94% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 9 (worse than 91% compared with alternatives), American Equity has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for American Equity. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with American Equity and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of American Equity and the more cash is available to service its debt.


Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT 2021 2022 2023 2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for American Equity.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for American Equity from March 21, 2024.

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