July 20, 2023
Top 10 Stock First United Strong 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: First United – Top 10 Stock in Sound Pay Practices in the United States
First United 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. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 100 (top 100% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for First United on July 20, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
 360° Viewnew |
100 |  |
 Sentiment Ranknew |
67 |  |
 Value Rank |
100 | |
 Growth Rank |
57 | |
 Safety Rank |
95 | |
 Combined Rank |
100 | |
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Regional Banks |
| Index | Dividends USA, Diversity USA, Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ |
| Size class | X-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 First United Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 100 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 57 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 95 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 67 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock First United are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for First United. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 100, which means that the share price of First United 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 100% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 57, 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. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 95. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 67. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 100, First United is better positioned than 100% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 100), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 95), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 67), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of First United is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for First United positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock First United is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First United. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 34 (worse than 66% 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 50, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in First United. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 55, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 55% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 66, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 66% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 67 (more positive than 67% compared with investment alternatives), First United has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: First United Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2023, First United shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for First United. Price-to-Sales is 97 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 97% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for First United's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 93% 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 93. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of First United are expected to be higher than for 77% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 77). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation based on First United'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 First United based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: First United Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), First United 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 all but one indicator above average for First United. Profit Growth has a rank of 73 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 73% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 85, and Stock Returns has a rank of 61 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 61% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 12 (88% of its competitors are better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. ...read more
Safety Strategy: First United Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 96 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 44 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 71 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 95 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2023, the company First United has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of First United 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 two out of three indicators above average for First United. Leverage is at a rank of 96, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 96% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 71, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 71% 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 44, 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 56% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives), First United has a financing structure that is significantly safer 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 First United. 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: First United Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 20, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 100 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 57 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 71 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with investment alternatives), First United (Regional Banks, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of First United are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 95), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 100, is a strong buy recommendation based on First United's financial characteristics. As the company First United's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 100), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 57), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 95), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of First United. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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