Fact based stock research
Swiss Life (SWX:SLHN)

CH0014852781

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.

Swiss Life stock research in summary

swisslife.com

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 13 (worse than 87% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 56) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 96, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 98, is a strong buy recommendation based on Swiss Life's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Swiss Life exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 13), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 56). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 96) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	13
Growth Rank	56
Safety Rank	96
Combined Rank	98

Country	Switzerland
Industry	Life & Health Insurance
Index	Renewables Users, SPI, SMI
Size class	XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Gold Winner CEO, Top 10 Stock.

18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Swiss Life

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	35	39	25	13
GROWTH
GROWTH	37	81	17	56
SAFETY
SAFETY	88	96	96	96
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	61	51	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	69	45	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Swiss Life is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	35	39	25	13
GROWTH
GROWTH	37	81	17	56
SAFETY
SAFETY	88	96	96	96
COMBINED
COMBINED	28	98	98	98

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Swiss Life the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 13 (worse than 87% compared with alternatives), Swiss Life shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Swiss Life. Price-to-Sales is 25 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 75% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Swiss Life's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 18, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Swiss Life. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 16 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 55% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation based on Swiss Life's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Swiss Life? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Swiss Life? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Swiss Life may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	35	56	48	25
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	23	23	21	16
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	48	48	24	18
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	64	47	48	45
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	35	39	25	13

Last update of Value Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Swiss Life; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), Swiss Life shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Swiss Life. Sales Growth has a rank of 91, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 91% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 52 is also above average. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 30, and Stock Returns with 39 are also below-average. Stock returns for Swiss Life have recently been below 61% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 56, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Are investors forecasting troubles based on the lack of operating investment activity at the company? This could be one explanation as to why stock returns are low. But stock returns can also be the result of correcting an error in the past, in this case, an overly optimistic outlook on the future, which is now more realistic. The Value Ranks may confirm such a picture. The more important growth indicators are revenues and profits, which are both above average for Swiss Life. This is a positive sign from the company's operational side and may give investors courage, despite the poor recent stock price performance. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with the Obermatt Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	43	40	8	91
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	47	41	28	52
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	71	17	30
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	63	95	87	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	37	81	17	56

Last update of Growth Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Swiss Life.

Safety Metrics in Detail

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, with two out of three indicators above-average for Swiss Life. Refinancing is at 92, meaning 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 also good at 88, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 88% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 49, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 51% of its competitors. ...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. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Swiss Life could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Swiss Life and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	77	80	58	49
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	77	92	92	92
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	34	49	42	88
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	88	96	96	96

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Swiss Life and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	60	34	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	15	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	21	73	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	76	77	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	61	51	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Swiss Life.
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