Fact based stock research
AECI (JSE:AFE)

ZAE000000220

How to read the free 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.

AECI stock research in summary

aeciworld.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 82 (better than 82% compared with investment alternatives), AECI (Specialty Chemicals, South Africa) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of AECI are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 49), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 44), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 82, is a strong buy recommendation based on AECI's financial characteristics. As the company AECI's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 100) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 49) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 44), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 100% of comparable companies, may indicate 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. 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	100
Growth Rank	49
Safety Rank	44
Combined Rank	82

Country	South Africa
Industry	Specialty Chemicals
Index	Low Emissions, Energy Efficient, Good Governace Growth Markets, Independent Boards Growth Markets, JSE All Shares
Size class	Small

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Jul-2025. 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

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

Research History: AECI

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	100	99	100	100
GROWTH
GROWTH	13	67	5	49
SAFETY
SAFETY	43	37	42	44
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	49	59	17	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	53	88	26	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better AECI is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	100	99	100	100
GROWTH
GROWTH	13	67	5	49
SAFETY
SAFETY	43	37	42	44
COMBINED
COMBINED	57	91	52	82

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of AECI the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2025, AECI shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for AECI. Price-to-Sales is 89 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 89% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for AECI's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 97% 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 81. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of AECI are expected to be higher than for 92% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 92). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation based on AECI'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 AECI based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	100	97	93	89
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	95	97	97	97
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	88	88	90	81
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	96	98	98	92
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	100	99	100	100

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of AECI; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 49 (better than 49% compared with alternatives), AECI 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 AECI. Profit Growth has a rank of 81, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 81% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 71 (above 71% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 94% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 37. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for AECI. 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 mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	9	85	6	6
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	12	26	10	81
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	29	37	21	37
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	61	79	41	71
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	13	67	5	49

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of AECI.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 44 (better than 44% compared with alternatives), the company AECI 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 AECI 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 AECI and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 95, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 95% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 26, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 74% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 19, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 81% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 44 (worse than 56% compared with alternatives), AECI has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for AECI are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with AECI and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	26	24	26	26
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	96	90	98	95
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	18	22	22	19
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	43	37	42	44

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of AECI and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	100	100	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	15	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	86	52	34	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	7	11	18	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	49	59	17	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for AECI.
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