May 15, 2025
Top 10 Stock SK Telecom 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: SK Telecom – Top 10 Stock in Telecommunications
SK Telecom is listed as a top 10 stock on May 15, 2025 in the market index Telecommunications 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 37 (37% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for SK Telecom on May 15, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | South Korea |
| Industry | Wireless Telecommunication |
| Index | Energy Efficient, Telecommunications, KOSPI |
| Size class | XX-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 SK Telecom Hold
| 360 METRICS | May 15, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 67 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 43 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 29 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 33 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 37 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 37 (better than 37% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock SK Telecom are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for SK Telecom. Only the consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 67, which means that the share price of SK Telecom 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 67% of alternative stocks in the same industry. All other consolidated ranks are below average. The consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 43, 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 29, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 71% 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 67% of alternative investment opportunities, reflected in the consolidated Sentiment Rank of 33. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 37, SK Telecom is worse than 63% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only one of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibits above-average performance, namely the Value Rank at a level of 67. All other ranks are below average, so proceed with caution. The company has below-average growth expectations (Growth Rank of 43), a riskier financing structure than the competition (Safety Rank of 29), and the market sentiment in the professional investor community ranking at (Sentiment Rank of 33) 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 SK Telecom 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 SK Telecom. 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 SK Telecom only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock SK Telecom is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for SK Telecom. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 87 (better than 87% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. This is a good sign, were it not for Analyst Opinions Change with a low rank of 14, which means that currently, stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse. In other words, they are getting more critical of a stock investment in SK Telecom. The Professional Investors rank is also low at 31, meaning that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 69% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. Even worse, Market Pulse has a low rank of 23, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are critical of this company (more negative news than for 77% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 33 (less encouraging than 67% compared with investment alternatives), SK Telecom has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. There are several negative sentiment signals, with only the Analyst Opinions Rank above average. This could be a stock with a long reputation for being positive but where things are worsening. Most analysts may not see it yet, but some have, and the professionals are already quite pessimistic. Proceed with caution when investing in this stock. ...read more
Value Strategy: SK Telecom Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), SK Telecom shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for SK Telecom. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 58, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 58% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning SK Telecom's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 60% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 96 (dividends are expected to be higher than 96% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 60% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for SK Telecom to 40. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation based on SK Telecom's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. ...read more
Growth Strategy: SK Telecom Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), SK Telecom 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 three out of four indicators below average for SK Telecom. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 44, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 56% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 37, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 33. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 67% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 51, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 51% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for SK Telecom, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more
Safety Strategy: SK Telecom Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | May 15, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 50 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 14 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 41 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 29 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 29 (better than 29% compared with alternatives), the company SK Telecom 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 SK Telecom 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 just one indicator above average for SK Telecom and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 50 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 50% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 14, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 86% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 41, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 29 (worse than 71% compared with alternatives), SK Telecom has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is an indication that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. There is only below-market average liquidity, and a short-term refinancing issue might be around the corner. But in the long-term, the debt levels of SK Telecom are on the safer side. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: SK Telecom Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | May 15, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 67 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 43 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 42 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 42 (worse than 58% compared with investment alternatives), SK Telecom (Wireless Telecommunication, South Korea) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SK Telecom are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 67 (better than 67% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 43), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 29), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation based on SK Telecom's financial characteristics. As the company SK Telecom's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 67) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 43) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 29), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 67% 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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