Fact based stock research
AO World (LSE:AO.)

GB00BJTNFH41

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.

AO World stock research in summary

ao-world.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with investment alternatives), AO World (Internet Retail, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of AO World are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 9 (worse than 91% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 60) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 80, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 52, is a buy recommendation based on AO World's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company AO World exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 9), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 60). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 80) 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	9
Growth Rank	60
Safety Rank	80
Combined Rank	52

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Internet Retail
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Sound Pay Europe
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-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: AO World

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	39	17	4	9
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	3	81	60
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	60	35	80
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	29	56	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	7	24	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better AO World is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	39	17	4	9
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	3	81	60
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	60	35	80
COMBINED
COMBINED	38	6	24	52

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of AO World the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 9 (worse than 91% compared with alternatives), AO World 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 AO World. Price-to-Sales is 38 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 62% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning AO World's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 26, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of AO World. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 20 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 99% 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 9, is a sell recommendation based on AO World's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for AO World? 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 AO World? 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. AO World 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)	89	81	38	38
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	62	8	12	20
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	22	1	15	26
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	39	17	4	9

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of AO World; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), AO World 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 AO World. Profit Growth has a rank of 94, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 94% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 65 (above 65% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 20, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 80% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 22. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 60, is a buy 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 AO World. 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	67	43	56	20
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	7	9	96	94
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	56	6	22
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	58	3	98	65
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	64	3	81	60

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of AO World.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company AO World has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of AO World 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 AO World. Leverage is at a rank of 69, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 69% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 84, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 84% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 28, 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 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives), AO World has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for AO World. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with AO World 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	26	61	57	69
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	8	19	28	28
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	36	76	46	84
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	13	60	35	80

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of AO World 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	19	23	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	92	83	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	50	88	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	16	26	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	29	56	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for AO World.
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