Fact based stock research
Forbo (SWX:FORN)

CH0003541510

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.

Forbo stock research in summary

forbo.comflooringde-at

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with investment alternatives), Forbo (Building Products, Switzerland) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Forbo are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 94), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 52, is a buy recommendation based on Forbo's financial characteristics. As the company Forbo's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 45) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 94) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	45
Growth Rank	25
Safety Rank	94
Combined Rank	52

Country	Switzerland
Industry	Building Products
Index	SPI
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Gold Winner CEO.

18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Forbo

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	18	21	43	45
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	23	11	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	69	96	86	94
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	77	51	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	55	32	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Forbo is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	18	21	43	45
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	23	11	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	69	96	86	94
COMBINED
COMBINED	38	40	28	52

Last update of combined financial performance: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Forbo the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Forbo shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Forbo. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 58 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 58% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Forbo's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 34, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 34% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 69% of alternatives (only 31% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 43% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 45, is a hold recommendation based on Forbo's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	12	28	30	31
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	47	45	58	58
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	17	24	34	34
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	48	29	53	57
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	18	21	43	45

Last update of Value Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Forbo; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), Forbo 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 three out of four metrics below average for Forbo. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 50, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 50% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 28, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 72% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 41 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 21 (79% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	41	25	24	28
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	71	37	41	50
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	37	21	41
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	50	53	41	21
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	64	23	11	25

Last update of Growth Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Forbo.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Forbo has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Forbo 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, where all three are above average for Forbo. Leverage is at 85, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 85% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 53, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 53% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 96, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 96% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives), Forbo has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. Investors may not have a debt issue with Forbo but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	72	90	81	85
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	22	55	47	53
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	93	92	96	96
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	69	96	86	94

Last update of Safety Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Forbo and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	72	16	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	25	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	23	93	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	86	67	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	77	51	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Forbo.
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