Fact based stock research
Spark New Zealand (NZSE:SPK)

NZTELE0001S4

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.

Spark New Zealand stock research in summary

sparknz.co.nz

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with investment alternatives), Spark New Zealand (Integrated Telecommunication, New Zealand) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Spark New Zealand are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 31 (worse than 69% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 49), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 14, is a sell recommendation based on Spark New Zealand's financial characteristics. As the company Spark New Zealand's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 31), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 49), 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. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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	31
Growth Rank	25
Safety Rank	49
Combined Rank	14

Country	New Zealand
Industry	Integrated Telecommunication
Index	ASX 200, ASX 300, NZSX 50
Size class	Large

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: Spark New Zealand

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	37	33	27	31
GROWTH
GROWTH	17	41	79	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	79	33	63	49
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	77	63	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	39	70	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2022. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Spark New Zealand is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	37	33	27	31
GROWTH
GROWTH	17	41	79	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	79	33	63	49
COMBINED
COMBINED	33	14	67	14

Last update of combined financial performance: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Spark New Zealand the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), Spark New Zealand 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 Spark New Zealand. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 83% 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 31 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 69% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Spark New Zealand's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 36 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 64% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 2 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 98% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation based on Spark New Zealand's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Spark New Zealand? 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 Spark New Zealand only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. 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)	28	31	27	31
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	48	38	35	36
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	13	7	3	2
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	88	75	79	83
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	37	33	27	31

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), Spark New Zealand 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 all four metrics below average for Spark New Zealand. Sales Growth has a rank of 43, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 57% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 37, and Capital Growth with 46. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 29, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 71% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. 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 Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	33	71	37	43
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	61	54	95	37
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	9	73	46
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	24	41	23	29
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	17	41	79	25

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 49 (better than 49% compared with alternatives), the company Spark New Zealand has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Spark New Zealand 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 just one indicator above average for Spark New Zealand. Liquidity is at 67, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 67% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 39, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 61% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 30, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 70% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), Spark New Zealand has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	51	24	32	30
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	79	39	55	39
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	73	58	65	67
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	79	33	63	49

Last update of Safety Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Spark New Zealand 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	36	24	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	30	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	100	71	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	73	80	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	77	63	^new

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