October 12, 2023
Top 10 Stock CenturyLink 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: CenturyLink – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Telecommunications Index
CenturyLink 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 half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is negative and growth performance is below market average, both a sign for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 28 (28% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for CenturyLink on October 12, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Alternative Carriers |
| Index | 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 CenturyLink Hold
| 360 METRICS | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 84 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 7 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 60 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 14 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 28 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock CenturyLink are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for CenturyLink. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 84, which means that the share price of CenturyLink is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 84% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 60. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 14. Professional investors are more confident in 86% other stocks. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 7, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. 93 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 28, CenturyLink is worse than 72% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. The picture is mixed here. The stock seems to be a good value (Value Rank of 84), and the financing structure is on the safer side (Safety Rank of 60). However, sentiment in the professional investor community is below-average (Sentiment Rank of 14), as is the growth momentum for the company (Growth Rank of 7). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. Even though the financing structure is not as important as Value, Growth, and Sentiment, investors should still be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for CenturyLink negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 14 (better than 14% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock CenturyLink is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for CenturyLink. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 3 (worse than 97% 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 have found something to make them more positive about investing in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in CenturyLink. But the Professional Investors rank is low at 1, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 99% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. Market Pulse is also low at a rank of 46, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 54% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 14 (less encouraging than 86% compared with investment alternatives), CenturyLink has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. These are quite a few negative sentiment signals. One may want to trust the analysts that are changing their opinions. They may be early indications of better times, especially if the company is a smaller one. But If they are an extra large company, they should have more professional stockholders than are currently present. ...read more
Value Strategy: CenturyLink Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 84 (better than 84% compared with alternatives) for 2023, CenturyLink shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for CenturyLink. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 93, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 93% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding CenturyLink's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 92% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 82. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than CenturyLink (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 84, is a buy recommendation based on CenturyLink's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. ...read more
Growth Strategy: CenturyLink Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink. Sales Growth has a rank of 4, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 96% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 27, and Capital Growth with 37. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 3, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 97% 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: CenturyLink Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 34 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 84 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 38 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 60 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), the company CenturyLink has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of CenturyLink 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 CenturyLink and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 84, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 84% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 34, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 66% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 38, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 62% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), CenturyLink has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for CenturyLink are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: CenturyLink Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 12, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 84 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 7 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 38 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 53 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with investment alternatives), CenturyLink (Alternative Carriers, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of CenturyLink are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 84 (better than 84% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 60, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 7). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 53, is a buy recommendation based on CenturyLink's financial characteristics. As the company CenturyLink's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 84) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 7) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 60), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 84% of comparable companies, may also indicate that 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 and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
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