November 23, 2023
Top 10 Stock Phoenix 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: Phoenix – Top 10 Stock in FTSE All Share Index


thephoenixgroup.com


Phoenix is listed as a top 10 stock on November 23, 2023 in the market index FTSE All Shares because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only the Obermatt Value Rank exhibits above-average performance, which means that the stock is seen as critical by the professional community and other financial facts are below average, conveying mixed investment signals. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 21 (21% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for Phoenix on November 23, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country United Kingdom
Industry Life & Health Insurance
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Customer Focus EU, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU
Size class XX-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 Phoenix Sell

360 METRICS November 23, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Phoenix are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Phoenix. Only the consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 61, which means that the share price of Phoenix is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 61% of alternative stocks in the same industry. All other consolidated ranks are below average. The consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 5, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 6, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 94% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, professionals are more pessimistic about the stock than for 93% of alternative investment opportunities, reflected in the consolidated Sentiment Rank of 7. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 21, Phoenix is worse than 79% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that Phoenix shares are on the riskier side for investors. Only one of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibits above-average performance, namely the Value Rank at a level of 61. All other ranks are below average, so proceed with caution. The company has below-average growth expectations (Growth Rank of 5), a riskier financing structure than the competition (Safety Rank of 6), and the market sentiment in the professional investor community ranking at (Sentiment Rank of 7) is negative. This combination is sensitive to a crisis, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. It’s no wonder that the investor community indicators are skeptical (low sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Phoenix is as challenging as the low price of the stock suggests. Since the professional community is pessimistic, you might need to worry about the future of Phoenix. Only invest if you have solid reasons to believe that the low growth is temporary and the current market sentiment is an overreaction, possibly due to reputational issues in the past. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Phoenix negative

SENTIMENT METRICS November 23, 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 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Phoenix is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Phoenix. 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. Worse, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 42 which means that stock research experts are getting even more pessimistic. It doesn't end with the analysts. Market Pulse is also low with a rank of 15, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 85% of competitors). No wonder, the Professional Investors rank is only 36, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 64% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to stay away from Phoenix, which may be due to a small company size but just as likely because of its relatively low Sentiment Rank. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 7 (less encouraging than 93% compared with investment alternatives), Phoenix has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. Investors should be careful with this stock right now. Further research is required if an investment is desired, because the facts found in the professional community are all negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Phoenix Stock Price Value better than average

VALUE METRICS November 23, 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 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), Phoenix shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Phoenix. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 54, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 54% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Phoenix's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 96, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 96% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 54% of alternatives (only 46% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 59% 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 61, is a buy recommendation based on Phoenix's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Phoenix Growth Momentum negative

GROWTH METRICS November 23, 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 5 (better than 5% compared with alternatives), Phoenix shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below-average for Phoenix. While Sales Growth ranks at 51, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 51% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 94% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 15. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 9 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 91% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 5, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Phoenix Debt Financing Safety risky

SAFETY METRICS November 23, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 6 (better than 6% compared with alternatives), the company Phoenix has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Phoenix 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 all three metrics below average for Phoenix. Liquidity is at 4, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 96% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 18, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 82% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 0 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 100% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with alternatives), Phoenix has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing.



Combined financial peformance: Phoenix Above-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE November 23, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with investment alternatives), Phoenix (Life & Health Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Phoenix are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 61 (better than 61% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 5), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 6), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation based on Phoenix's financial characteristics. As the company Phoenix's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 61) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 5) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 6), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 61% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. ...read more

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