October 12, 2023
Top 10 Stock AT&T 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: AT&T – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Telecommunications Index
AT&T is listed as a top 10 stock on October 12, 2023 in the market index D.J. US Telecom because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 59 (high 59% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for AT&T on October 12, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Integrated Telecommunication |
| Index | Dividends USA, Diversity USA, Recycling, D.J. US Telecom, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-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 AT&T Buy
| 360 METRICS | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 90 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 31 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 31 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 61 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 59 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock AT&T are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for AT&T. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 90, which means that the share price of AT&T is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 90% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 61, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 61% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 31, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 31, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 69 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 59, AT&T is better positioned than 59% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 90) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 61), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 31) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 31). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of AT&T is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for AT&T positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock AT&T is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and above average for AT&T. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 43 (worse than 57% 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 62 which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in AT&T. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 52, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive in their discussions about this company (more positive news than for 52% of competitors). Only professional investors tend to be absent with a Professional Investors rank of 49, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 51% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. But that could also be due to the size of the company. Professional investors tend to invest in XL and XXL companies. If the company is smaller than that, that fact alone may explain why there are fewer pros present. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 61 (more positive than 61% compared with investment alternatives), AT&T has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Since analysts are getting more optimistic and the professional communication channels are positive, it may be an indication of a company that has the difficult times behind it or the stocks’ value is improving. For medium to smaller companies, the positive sentiment indicators outshine the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: AT&T Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 90 (better than 90% compared with alternatives) for 2023, AT&T shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for AT&T. Price-to-Sales is 51 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 51% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for AT&T's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 81% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 67. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of AT&T are expected to be higher than for 92% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 92). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 90, is a buy recommendation based on AT&T's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in AT&T based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: AT&T Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), AT&T 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 AT&T. Profit Growth has a rank of 60, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 60% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 61 (above 61% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 23, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 77% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 34. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for AT&T. ...read more
Safety Strategy: AT&T Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 58 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 9 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 62 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 31 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), the company AT&T 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 AT&T 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 AT&T. Leverage is at a rank of 58, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 58% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 62, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 62% 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 9, 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 91% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), AT&T has a financing structure that is 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 AT&T. 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. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: AT&T Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 90 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 31 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 62 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 57 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with investment alternatives), AT&T (Integrated Telecommunication, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of AT&T are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 90 (better than 90% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 31), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 31), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on AT&T's financial characteristics. As the company AT&T's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 90) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 31) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 31), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 90% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. ...read more
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