August 17, 2023
Top 10 Stock Rio Tinto Hold 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: Rio Tinto – Top 10 Stock in Lithium Mining and Production


riotinto.com


Rio Tinto is listed as a top 10 stock on August 17, 2023 in the market index Lithium because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. While the company shows high growth, the stock price is high yet professional investor sentiment is low, which may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior, reflected in a low stock price value. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 26 (26% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Rio Tinto on August 17, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country United Kingdom
Industry Diversified Metals & Mining
Index ASX 100, ASX 200, ASX 300, ASX 50, FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Copper, Dividends Europe, Human Rights, Iron, Lithium, Low Waste, Silver, Water Efficiency
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 Rio Tinto Hold

360 METRICS August 17, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 26 (better than 26% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Rio Tinto are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Rio Tinto. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 67, 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 67% of competitors in the same industry. In addition, the consolidated Safety Rank has a safer rank of 50 which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 50% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 11 which means that the share price of Rio Tinto is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is higher than for 89% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 30, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 70% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 26, Rio Tinto is worse than 74% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, the picture is ambiguous. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 67), and the company is safely financed (Safety Rank of 50). However, professional market sentiment is low(Sentiment Rank of 30). The negative market view on Rio Tinto may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to board the train, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. It is typical for growth companies to have low value ratings, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of Rio Tinto compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one hundred minus the growth 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 value rank is above 60. As market sentiment is low, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company’s future growth potential. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Rio Tinto only reserved

SENTIMENT METRICS August 17, 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 30 (better than 30% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Rio Tinto is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half the indicators below and the other half above average for Rio Tinto. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 31 (worse than 69% 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 20, which means that stock research experts are getting more pessimistic. It doesn't end with the analysts. Market Pulse is also low with a rank of 45, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 55% of competitors). On the upside, the Professional Investors rank is 66, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 66% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. This could be due to a large company size, which could contribute to the higher share of professional investors in the company. If this is not the case, the low sentiment ranks are more challenging to explain. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 30 (less encouraging than 70% compared with investment alternatives), Rio Tinto has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. Should the company be on the smaller side, the presence of professional investors could be reassuring. That would make Rio Tinto stock something like a hidden gem. Investors should make sure with further research that this is true, because all other sentiment indicators are negative which is a sign for caution. ...read more



Value Strategy: Rio Tinto Stock Price Value low

VALUE METRICS August 17, 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 11 (worse than 89% compared with alternatives), Rio Tinto shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Rio Tinto. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 50 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Rio Tinto'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 18, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 18% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 94% of alternatives (only 6% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 14% 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 11, is a sell recommendation based on Rio Tinto'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. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Rio Tinto Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS August 17, 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 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), Rio Tinto 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 all but one indicator above average for Rio Tinto. Profit Growth has a rank of 59 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 59% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 86, and Stock Returns has a rank of 59 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 59% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 19 (81% of its competitors are better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Rio Tinto Debt Financing Safety above-average

SAFETY METRICS August 17, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 50 (better than 50% compared with alternatives), the company Rio Tinto has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Rio Tinto 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, with two out of three indicators above average for Rio Tinto. Leverage is at a rank of 64, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 85, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 85% 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 12, 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 88% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 50 (better than 50% compared with alternatives), Rio Tinto has a financing structure that is safer 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 Rio Tinto. 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: Rio Tinto Below-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE August 17, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 36 (worse than 64% compared with investment alternatives), Rio Tinto (Diversified Metals & Mining, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Rio Tinto are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 11 (worse than 89% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 67) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 50, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 36, is a hold recommendation based on Rio Tinto's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Rio Tinto exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 11), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 67). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 50) 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). ...read more

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