Fact based stock research
NOW (NYSE:DNOW)
US67011P1003
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.
NOW stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with investment alternatives), NOW (Trading & Distribution, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of NOW are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 63) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 77, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 88, is a strong buy recommendation based on NOW's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company NOW exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 63). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 77) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). 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
Log in or sign up to see the new 360° View and Sentiment ranks.
360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | Trading & Distribution |
| Index | Water Tech |
| Size class | Large |
25-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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.
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: NOW
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
|
23 |
|
46 |
|
39 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 49 |
|
95 |
|
1 |
|
63 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 57 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
8 |
|
88 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
28 |
|
41 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with investment alternatives), NOW (Trading & Distribution, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of NOW are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 63) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 77, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 88, is a strong buy recommendation based on NOW's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company NOW exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 63). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 77) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
|
23 |
|
46 |
|
39 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 49 |
|
95 |
|
1 |
|
63 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 57 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 35 |
|
88 |
|
88 |
|
88 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% compared with alternatives), NOW 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 NOW. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 66, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 66% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning NOW'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 72% of alternatives (28% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 99% 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 48, 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 39, is a hold recommendation based on NOW's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for NOW 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). We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 54 |
|
62 |
|
68 |
|
66 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 9 |
|
11 |
|
66 |
|
48 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 58 |
|
81 |
|
74 |
|
72 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 21 |
|
23 |
|
46 |
|
39 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), NOW 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for NOW. Capital Growth has a rank of 85, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 40% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 73 (above 73% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 32, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 68% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 40. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for NOW, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. 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 mixed here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 11 |
|
85 |
|
21 |
|
32 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 100 |
|
76 |
|
48 |
|
40 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
98 |
|
26 |
|
85 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 82 |
|
29 |
|
11 |
|
73 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 49 |
|
95 |
|
1 |
|
63 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company NOW has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of NOW 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 two out of three are above average for NOW.Leverage is at 88, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 88% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 73, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 73% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 38, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 62% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 77 (better than 77% compared with alternatives), NOW has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. Investors should compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before deciding. They may also want to investigate why cash flows are expected to be low, making debt service for NOW more challenging. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 92 |
|
90 |
|
92 |
|
88 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 66 |
|
79 |
|
77 |
|
73 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 1 |
|
38 |
|
38 |
|
38 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 57 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
77 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
71 |
|
83 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
12 |
|
86 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
30 |
|
51 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
8 |
|
88 |
|
new |
|
Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for NOW from April 25, 2024.
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.