October 17, 2024
Top 10 Stock Austal Strong 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: Austal – Top 10 Stock in Australian Securities Exchange Index ASX 200


austal.com


Austal is listed as a top 10 stock on October 17, 2024 in the market index ASX 200 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 82 (top 82% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Austal on October 17, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Australia
Industry Aerospace & Defense
Index ASX 200, ASX 300, Low Waste
Size class Large
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Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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 Austal Strong Buy

360 METRICS October 17, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 82 (better than 82% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Austal are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Austal. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 95, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 95% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 54, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 54% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 49, which means that the share price of Austal is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 51% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 35, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 65% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 82, Austal is better positioned than 82% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 95), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 54), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Austal positive

SENTIMENT METRICS October 17, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Austal is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Austal. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 59 (better than 59% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive and has a rank of 91 which means that currently, stock research experts are getting even more optimistic about investments in Austal. But Market Pulse has a low rank of 36, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 64% of competitors). This is an essential sign of caution, as it could be the forebearer of bad news. Professional Investors are also somewhat absent with a rank of 25, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 75% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. This is expected if the company is of a smaller size (medium or smaller). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 54 (more positive than 54% compared with investment alternatives), Austal has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. While the general news feeds in the professional market are negative, the analyst recommendations are optimistic about the company, and even increase their ratings despite the negative news. This is an ambiguous situation with positive and negative signals from the professional side. Investors should be on the lookout for negative news but not worry too much about it as long as the overall news is still positive. ...read more



Value Strategy: Austal Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS October 17, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), Austal shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Austal. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 60, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 60% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Austal's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 68% of alternatives (32% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 10 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 90% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 38, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on Austal's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Austal may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). ...read more



Growth Strategy: Austal Growth Momentum high

GROWTH METRICS October 17, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Austal shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for Austal. Sales Growth has a value of 73, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 73% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 92 and for Capital Growth with 81. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 89, which means they have been higher than 89% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 95, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Austal exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Austal Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS October 17, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), the company Austal 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 Austal 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 Austal and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 66 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 66% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 25, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 75% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 14, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 86% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with alternatives), Austal has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is an indication that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. There is only below-market average liquidity, and a short-term refinancing issue might be around the corner. But in the long-term, the debt levels of Austal are on the safer side. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Austal Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE October 17, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 81 (better than 81% compared with investment alternatives), Austal (Aerospace & Defense, Australia) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Austal are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 35, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 95). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 81, is a strong buy recommendation based on Austal's financial characteristics. As the company Austal shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (51% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 95% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 95). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 35 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Austal, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more

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