February 8, 2024
Top 10 Stock American Tower Sell 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: American Tower – Top 10 Stock in Real Estate in the United States
American Tower is listed as a top 10 stock on February 08, 2024 in the market index R/E USA 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 6 (6% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for American Tower on February 08, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | REITs: Specialized |
| Index | Low Emissions, Energy Efficient, R/E USA, 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 American Tower Sell
| 360 METRICS | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 7 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 15 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 85 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 6 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 6 (better than 6% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock American Tower are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for American Tower. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 85, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 85% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 12, which means that the share price of American Tower 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 7, 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 7% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 15 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 85% 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 6, American Tower is worse than 94% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that American Tower shares are on the riskier side for investors. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 85) 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 American Toweṛ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for American Tower very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock American Tower is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for American Tower. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 77 (better than 77% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 54, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in American Tower. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 89, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 89% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 85 (more positive than 85% compared with investment alternatives), American Tower has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 47, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 53% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for American Tower is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: American Tower Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with alternatives), American Tower shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for American Tower. Price-to-Sales is 31 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 69% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning American Tower's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 3, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of American Tower. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 23 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 66% 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 12, is a sell recommendation based on American Tower's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for American Tower? 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 American Tower? 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. American Tower 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: American Tower Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), American Tower shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for American Tower. Sales Growth has a rank of 15, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 85% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 49, and Capital Growth with 23. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 27, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 73% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 7, is a sell 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: American Tower Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 18 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 23 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 32 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 15 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 15 (better than 15% compared with alternatives), the company American Tower 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 Tower 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 all three metrics below average for American Tower. Liquidity is at 32, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 68% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 18, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 82% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 23 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with alternatives), American Tower has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing.
Combined financial peformance: American Tower Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 8, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 7 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 32 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 1 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), American Tower (REITs: Specialized, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of American Tower are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 7), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 15), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on American Tower's financial characteristics. As the company American Tower's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 12), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 7), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 15), 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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