April 24, 2025
Top 10 Stock ABF 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: ABF – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 100 Index
ABF is listed as a top 10 stock on April 24, 2025 in the market index FTSE 100 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is negative and growth performance is below market average, both a sign for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 59 (high 59% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for ABF on April 24, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Packaged Foods & Meats |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Low Emissions, Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Water Efficiency |
| 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 ABF Buy
| 360 METRICS | April 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 28 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 92 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 41 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 59 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock ABF are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for ABF. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 55, which means that the share price of ABF is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 55% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 92. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 41. Professional investors are more confident in 59% other stocks. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 28, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. 72 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 59, ABF is better positioned than 59% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. The picture is mixed here. The stock seems to be a good value (Value Rank of 55), and the financing structure is on the safer side (Safety Rank of 92). However, sentiment in the professional investor community is below-average (Sentiment Rank of 41), as is the growth momentum for the company (Growth Rank of 28). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. Even though the financing structure is not as important as Value, Growth, and Sentiment, investors should still be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for ABF only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock ABF is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for ABF. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 13 (worse than 87% 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. Other sentiment indicators are positive: The Professional Investors rank is 53, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 53% of alternative investment opportunities. So, pros tend to favor investing in this company. In addition, Market Pulse has a rank of 58, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 58% of competitors). While stock research analysts are getting ever more critical, many professional investors are committed to ABF and the professional news channels are on the positive side. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 41 (less encouraging than 59% compared with investment alternatives), ABF 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: ABF Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), ABF 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 ABF. Price-to-Sales is 52 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 52% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for ABF's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 62% 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 59. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of ABF are expected to be higher than for 51% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 51). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on ABF'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 ABF based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: ABF Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), ABF 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for ABF. Sales Growth has a rank of 57 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 57% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 23% of competitors with a rank of 59. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 23, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 77% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 21. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 28, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. ...read more
Safety Strategy: ABF Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | April 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 78 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 60 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 91 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 92 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company ABF has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of ABF 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 all three are above average for ABF. Leverage is at 78, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 78% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 60, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 60% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 91, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 91% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives), ABF has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: ABF Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | April 24, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 28 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 91 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 67 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with investment alternatives), ABF (Packaged Foods & Meats, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of ABF are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 92, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 28). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation based on ABF's financial characteristics. As the company ABF's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 28) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 92), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 55% of comparable companies, may also indicate that 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 and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
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