July 13, 2023
Top 10 Stock NiSource 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: NiSource – Top 10 Stock in S&P 500 Index
NiSource is listed as a top 10 stock on July 13, 2023 in the market index S&P 500 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 83 (top 83% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for NiSource on July 13, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Multi-Utilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, S&P 500 |
| Size class | X-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 NiSource Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 13, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 45 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 83 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
|
||||||
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 100 |
|
||||||
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 83 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock NiSource are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for NiSource. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 83, 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 83% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 100, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 100% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 45, which means that the share price of NiSource 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 55% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 41, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 59% 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 83, NiSource is better positioned than 83% 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 83), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 100), 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 NiSource very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock NiSource is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for NiSource. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 96 (better than 96% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 79, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in NiSource. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 81, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 81% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 100 (more positive than 100% compared with investment alternatives), NiSource has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 32, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 68% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for NiSource is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: NiSource Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), NiSource shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for NiSource. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 62, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 62% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning NiSource's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 57% of alternatives (43% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 45 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 55% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 42, 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 45, is a hold recommendation based on NiSource's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for NiSource may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). ...read more
Growth Strategy: NiSource Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2023, NiSource 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 but one indicator above average for NiSource. Sales Growth has a value of 81 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 81% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 70 and Capital Growth with a rank of 53 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 49, which means that stock returns have recently been below 51% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 83, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. NiSource has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for NiSource, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. ...read more
Safety Strategy: NiSource Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | July 13, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 54 |
|
||||||
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 5 |
|
||||||
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 67 |
|
||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 41 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), the company NiSource 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 NiSource 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, with two out of three indicators above average for NiSource. Leverage is at a rank of 54, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 54% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 67, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 67% 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 5, 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 95% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 41 (worse than 59% compared with alternatives), NiSource has a financing structure that is riskier 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 NiSource. 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: NiSource Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 13, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 45 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 83 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 67 |
|
||||||
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 65 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with investment alternatives), NiSource (Multi-Utilities, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of NiSource are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 41, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 83). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation based on NiSource's financial characteristics. As the company NiSource shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (55% 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 83% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 83). 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 41 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 NiSource, 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.