July 31, 2025
Top 10 Stock SMC 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: SMC – Top 10 Stock in SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SMC is listed as a top 10 stock on July 31, 2025 in the market index SDG 8 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company is safely financed, but all other facts speak against a stock purchase, especially the low market sentiment by professional investors. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 28 (28% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for SMC on July 31, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
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 SMC Hold
| 360 METRICS | July 31, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 37 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 9 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 96 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 31 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 28 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock SMC are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for SMC. The only rank that is above average is the consolidated Safety Rank at 96, which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than those of 96% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the Value, Growth and Sentiment Ranks are all below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 37, which means that the share price of SMC is on the high side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 9, which implies 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. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank is also low at a rank of 31, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 69% of alternative investment opportunities. While Safety is strong, it’s not the most critical indicator, so we suggest proceeding with caution if you are considering this stock. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 28, SMC is worse than 72% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only the financing structure, namely the Safety Rank, is on the safer side and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below-average, this is a riskier stock investment proposition. This is especially the case, since professional investor sentiment, the consolidated Obermatt Sentiment Rank, is also low at 31. The negative market view on SMC may be the high stock price (low value) or the low level of growth. This is a problem. As the Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated Obermatt Ranks, we cannot identify enough positive facts that are visible today to make a case for this stock investment. The company may have a strong future which would justify the high stock price, but this is not visible from investor behavior today. As market sentiment is critical, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock, and conduct further research into the company's future growth potential. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for SMC only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock SMC is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for SMC. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 37 (worse than 63% 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 35, which means that stock research experts are getting even more pessimistic. Other sentiment indicators are positive: The Professional Investors rank is 53, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 53% of alternative investment opportunities. So, pros tend to favor investing in this company. In addition, Market Pulse has a rank of 54, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 54% of competitors). While stock research analysts are getting ever more critical, many professional investors are committed to SMC and the professional news channels are on the positive side. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 31 (less encouraging than 69% compared with investment alternatives), SMC has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. This is an ambiguous picture: analysts are negative and getting even more critical, while the news in the market is positive. Who should investors believe? This is a difficult question in such a situation. Investors should proceed cautiously and verify not only the financial performance in the Obermatt Value, Growth and Safety Ranks but also independent news coverage of the company. ...read more
Value Strategy: SMC Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% compared with alternatives), SMC shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators where three out of four are below average for SMC. Only the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) indicates good stock value with a Price-to-Book Rank of 56, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 56% of comparable investments. All other value indicators are below the market median. Price-to-Sales is 20 which means the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 80% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning SMC's revenue levels. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 56 and for the dividend yields rank which is lower than for 67% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation based on SMC's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Why are market participants paying such a high price for SMC, where three out of four value indicators are below par? One reason could be that the company is well financed, indicated by the high book capital level, and has a promising future that is not yet visible in reported revenues and profits. That would also explain the low dividend yield because the company needs the cash to invest in its future. If investors can verify a picture in this sense, the stock may still be a good investment, even though current company-reported financials don't fully explain current stock prices. ...read more
Growth Strategy: SMC Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 9 (better than 9% compared with alternatives), SMC 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 SMC. While Sales Growth ranks at 59, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 59% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 37, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 63% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 6. 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 9, 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: SMC Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | July 31, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 94 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 63 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 98 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 96 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company SMC has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of SMC 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 all three are above average for SMC. Leverage is at 94, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 94% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 63, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 63% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 98, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 98% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives), SMC has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: SMC Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 31, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 37 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 9 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 98 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 41 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 41 (worse than 59% compared with investment alternatives), SMC (Industrial Machinery, Japan) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SMC are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 9) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 96), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation based on SMC's financial characteristics. As the company SMC's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 37) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 9), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 96) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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