July 20, 2023
Top 10 Stock Bank First National 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: Bank First National – Top 10 Stock in Sound Pay Practices in the United States
Bank First National is listed as a top 10 stock on July 20, 2023 in the market index Sound Pay USA because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and 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 46 (46% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Bank First National on July 20, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Regional Banks |
| Index | Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ |
| Size class | Small |
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 Bank First National Hold
| 360 METRICS | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 33 |
|
||||||
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 58 |
|
||||||
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 46 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 46 (better than 46% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Bank First National are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Bank First National. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 100, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 100% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 58, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 58% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 1, which means that the share price of Bank First National is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 99% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 33, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 67% 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 46, Bank First National is worse than 54% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 100), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 58), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Bank First National positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Bank First National is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half the indicators below and the other half above average for Bank First National. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 33 (worse than 67% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. Worse, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 9, which means that stock research experts are getting more pessimistic. It doesn't end with the analysts. Market Pulse is also low with a rank of 45, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 55% of competitors). On the upside, the Professional Investors rank is 90, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 90% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. This could be due to a large company size, which could contribute to the higher share of professional investors in the company. If this is not the case, the low sentiment ranks are more challenging to explain. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 58 (more positive than 58% compared with investment alternatives), Bank First National has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Should the company be on the smaller side, the presence of professional investors could be reassuring. That would make Bank First National stock something like a hidden gem. Investors should make sure with further research that this is true, because all other sentiment indicators are negative which is a sign for caution. ...read more
Value Strategy: Bank First National Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), Bank First National 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 Bank First National. Price-to-Sales is 1 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 99% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Bank First National's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 1, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Bank First National. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 3 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 84% 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 1, is a sell recommendation based on Bank First National's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Bank First National? 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 Bank First National? 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. Bank First National 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: Bank First National Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Bank First National shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for Bank First National. Sales Growth has a value of 52, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 52% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 92 and for Capital Growth with 100. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 97, which means they have been higher than 97% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Bank First National exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Bank First National Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 72 |
|
||||||
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 54 |
|
||||||
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 1 |
|
||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 33 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), the company Bank First National 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 Bank First National 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 where two out of three are above average for Bank First National.Leverage is at 72, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 72% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 54, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 54% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 33 (worse than 67% compared with alternatives), Bank First National has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Bank First National Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 1 |
|
||||||
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 39 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 39 (worse than 61% compared with investment alternatives), Bank First National (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Bank First National are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 33, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 100). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation based on Bank First National's financial characteristics. As the company Bank First National shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 1 (99% 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 100% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 100). 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 33 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 Bank First National, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.