November 9, 2023
Top 10 Stock Sonic Buy 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: Sonic – Top 10 Stock in Australian Securities Exchange Index ASX 50


sonichealthcare.com


Sonic is listed as a top 10 stock on November 09, 2023 in the market index ASX 50 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 56 (high 56% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Sonic on November 09, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Australia
Industry Health Care Services
Index ASX 100, ASX 200, ASX 300, ASX 50, Human Rights
Size class X-Large
Latest Research


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 Sonic Buy

360 METRICS November 9, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Sonic are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Sonic. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 59, which means that the share price of Sonic 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 59% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 88, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 88% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 39, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 19, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 81 comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 56, Sonic is better positioned than 56% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 59) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 88), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 39) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 19). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive 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. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of Sonic is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Sonic very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS November 9, 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 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Sonic is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Sonic. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 41 (worse than 59% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 56, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Sonic. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 94, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 94% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 85, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 85% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 88 (more positive than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Sonic has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Sonic Stock Price Value better than average

VALUE METRICS November 9, 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 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), Sonic shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Sonic. Price-to-Sales is 55 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 55% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Sonic's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 54% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 53. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Sonic are expected to be higher than for 86% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 86). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation based on Sonic's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Sonic based on its detailed value metrics.



Growth Strategy: Sonic Growth Momentum low

GROWTH METRICS November 9, 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 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), Sonic 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 Sonic. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 68, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 34% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 34 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 34 and Stock Returns with a rank of 45 are also low (below 55% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for Sonic is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Sonic Debt Financing Safety risky

SAFETY METRICS November 9, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 19 (better than 19% compared with alternatives), the company Sonic 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 Sonic 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 Sonic. Liquidity is at 35, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 65% 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 34, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 66% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 18 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 82% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 19 (worse than 81% compared with alternatives), Sonic 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: Sonic Lowest Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE November 9, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 17 (worse than 83% compared with investment alternatives), Sonic (Health Care Services, Australia) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Sonic are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 59 (better than 59% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 39), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 19), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 17, is a sell recommendation based on Sonic's financial characteristics. As the company Sonic's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 59) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 39) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 19), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 59% 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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