August 17, 2023
Top 10 Stock Swiss Life 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: Swiss Life – Top 10 Stock in Renewable Energy Use Leaders
Swiss Life is listed as a top 10 stock on August 17, 2023 in the market index Renewables Users 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 45 (45% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Swiss Life on August 17, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Switzerland |
| Industry | Life & Health Insurance |
| Index | Renewables Users, SPI, SMI |
| 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 Swiss Life Hold
| 360 METRICS | August 17, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 41 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 15 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 96 |
|
||||||
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 34 |
|
||||||
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 45 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 45 (better than 45% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Swiss Life are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Swiss Life. 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 41, which means that the share price of Swiss Life 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 15, 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 34, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 66% 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 45, Swiss Life is worse than 55% 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 34. The negative market view on Swiss Life 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 Swiss Life only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 34 (better than 34% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Swiss Life is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half the indicators below and half above average for Swiss Life. 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 31, which means that stock research experts are getting even more pessimistic. In addition, the Professional Investors rank is 35, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 65% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. The only positive sentiment indicator for Swiss Life is Market Pulse, with a rank of 85, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 85% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 34 (less encouraging than 66% compared with investment alternatives), Swiss Life 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: Swiss Life Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 41 (worse than 59% compared with alternatives), Swiss Life shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Swiss Life. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 52% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 49 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 51% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Swiss Life's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 32 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 68% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 35 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 65% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation based on Swiss Life's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Swiss Life? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Swiss Life only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Swiss Life Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 15 (better than 15% compared with alternatives), Swiss Life 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 Swiss Life. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 34, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 25, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 23. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 77% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 59, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 59% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Swiss Life, 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: Swiss Life Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | August 17, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 62 |
|
||||||
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 92 |
|
||||||
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 41 |
|
||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 96 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company Swiss Life has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Swiss Life 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 Swiss Life.Leverage is at 62, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 62% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 92, 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 92% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 41, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 59% 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 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives), Swiss Life 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: Swiss Life Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 17, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 41 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 15 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
|
||||||
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 98 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with investment alternatives), Swiss Life (Life & Health Insurance, Switzerland) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Swiss Life are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 41 (worse than 59% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 15) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 96), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 98, is a strong buy recommendation based on Swiss Life's financial characteristics. As the company Swiss Life's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 41) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 15), 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
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.