October 26, 2023
Top 10 Stock HDFC Life Insurance Sell 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: HDFC Life Insurance – Top 10 Stock in Good Governance in Growth Markets


hdfclife.com


HDFC Life Insurance is listed as a top 10 stock on October 26, 2023 in the market index Good Governace Growth Markets because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the 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 16 (16% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for HDFC Life Insurance on October 26, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country India
Industry Life & Health Insurance
Index Good Governace Growth Markets, CNX Nifty 50
Size class X-Large
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Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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 HDFC Life Insurance Sell

360 METRICS October 26, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock HDFC Life Insurance are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for HDFC Life Insurance. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 51, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 51% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 100 or better than 100% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 16, meaning that the share price of HDFC Life Insurance is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 41. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 16, HDFC Life Insurance is worse than 84% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that HDFC Life Insurance shares are on the riskier side for investors. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 51) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 100), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of HDFC Life Insurancẹ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for HDFC Life Insurance positive

SENTIMENT METRICS October 26, 2023
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock HDFC Life Insurance is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for HDFC Life Insurance. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 69 (better than 69% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 80, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 80% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change is negative with a below 50 rank of 46, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse in recommending the company. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in HDFC Life Insurance. There are also only so many institutional investors holding company stock with a Professional Investors rank of 24, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 76% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 51 (more positive than 51% compared with investment alternatives), HDFC Life Insurance has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. The signals are ambivalent. The positive news in the market contradicts the negative change in analyst recommendations. Since the overall analyst recommendations are still above average, the stock may be safer for investing, especially if it is not an extra-large company where Pros tend to be less present. In such a case, the Pro Investor rank is not a problem. ...read more



Value Strategy: HDFC Life Insurance Stock Price Value low

VALUE METRICS October 26, 2023
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), HDFC Life Insurance shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for HDFC Life Insurance. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 68, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than 68% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to HDFC Life Insurance's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 22, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 78% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 99% of alternatives (only 1% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 97% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 16, is a sell recommendation based on HDFC Life Insurance's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in HDFC Life Insurance could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, HDFC Life Insurance looks like an expensive investment today. ...read more



Growth Strategy: HDFC Life Insurance Growth Momentum low

GROWTH METRICS October 26, 2023
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), HDFC Life Insurance 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 all but one indicator above average for HDFC Life Insurance. Sales Growth has a rank of 70 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 70% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 71, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 59, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 5, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 95% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. ...read more



Safety Strategy: HDFC Life Insurance Debt Financing Safety very solid

SAFETY METRICS October 26, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company HDFC Life Insurance has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of HDFC Life Insurance 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 HDFC Life Insurance. Leverage is at 79, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 79% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 95, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 95% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 79, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 79% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives), HDFC Life Insurance 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. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: HDFC Life Insurance Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE October 26, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with investment alternatives), HDFC Life Insurance (Life & Health Insurance, India) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of HDFC Life Insurance are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 16 (worse than 84% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 41) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 100), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 96, is a strong buy recommendation based on HDFC Life Insurance's financial characteristics. As the company HDFC Life Insurance's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 16) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 41), 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 100) 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. ...read more

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