February 1, 2024
Top 10 Stock Standard 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: Standard – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 100 Index
Standard is listed as a top 10 stock on February 01, 2024 in the market index FTSE 100 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 25 (25% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Standard on February 01, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Diversified Banks |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU, Diversity Europe, Human Rights |
| 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 Standard Hold
| 360 METRICS | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 47 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 13 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 76 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 18 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 25 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Standard are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Standard. The only rank that is above average is the consolidated Safety Rank at 76, which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than those of 76% 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 47, which means that the share price of Standard 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 13, 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 18, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 82% 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 25, Standard is worse than 75% 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 18. The negative market view on Standard 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 Standard negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 18 (better than 18% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Standard 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 Standard. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 25 (worse than 75% 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 47 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 45, 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 55% of competitors). No wonder, the Professional Investors rank is only 14, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 86% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to stay away from Standard, 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 18 (less encouraging than 82% compared with investment alternatives), Standard 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: Standard Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 47 (worse than 53% compared with alternatives), Standard shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Standard. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 86, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 86% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Standard's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 83% of alternatives (17% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 12 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 88% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 21, 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 47, is a hold recommendation based on Standard's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Standard may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). ...read more
Growth Strategy: Standard Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), Standard 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 Standard. While Sales Growth ranks at 87, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 87% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 27, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 73% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 35. 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 13, 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: Standard Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 73 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 100 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 20 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 76 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Standard has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Standard 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 two out of three are above average for Standard.Leverage is at 73, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 73% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 100, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 100% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 20, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 80% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives), Standard has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Standard Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 47 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 13 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 20 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 38 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 38 (worse than 62% compared with investment alternatives), Standard (Diversified Banks, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Standard are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 47 (worse than 53% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 76), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 38, is a hold recommendation based on Standard's financial characteristics. As the company Standard's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 47) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13), 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 76) 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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