Fact based stock research
Coles Group (ASX:COL)
AU0000030678
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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.
Coles Group stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with investment alternatives), Coles Group (Food Retail, Australia) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Coles Group are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 41), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 12), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 16, is a sell recommendation based on Coles Group's financial characteristics. As the company Coles Group's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 43), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 41), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 12), 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
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360° ViewnewThis stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.
19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Coles Group
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 61 |
|
45 |
|
31 |
|
43 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 39 |
|
13 |
|
7 |
|
41 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
|
16 |
|
8 |
|
12 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
82 |
|
41 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
23 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with investment alternatives), Coles Group (Food Retail, Australia) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Coles Group are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 41), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 12), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 16, is a sell recommendation based on Coles Group's financial characteristics. As the company Coles Group's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 43), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 41), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 12), 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
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 61 |
|
45 |
|
31 |
|
43 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 39 |
|
13 |
|
7 |
|
41 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 41 |
|
16 |
|
8 |
|
12 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 44 |
|
4 |
|
1 |
|
16 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with alternatives), Coles Group 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 Coles Group. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 53, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Coles Group's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 82, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 82% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 86% of alternatives (only 14% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 70% of comparable companies, 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 43, is a hold recommendation based on Coles Group's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. 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 especially important 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) | 74 |
|
53 |
|
62 |
|
53 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 59 |
|
38 |
|
26 |
|
30 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 8 |
|
11 |
|
13 |
|
14 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 84 |
|
82 |
|
78 |
|
82 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 61 |
|
45 |
|
31 |
|
43 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), Coles Group 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 Coles Group. Capital Growth has a rank of 67, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 19% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 67 (above 67% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 34, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 19. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Coles Group, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. 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 | 49 |
|
32 |
|
25 |
|
34 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | n/a |
|
46 |
|
29 |
|
19 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
16 |
|
34 |
|
67 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 41 |
|
39 |
|
25 |
|
67 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 39 |
|
13 |
|
7 |
|
41 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 12 (better than 12% compared with alternatives), the company Coles Group has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Coles Group 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 all three metrics below average for Coles Group. Liquidity is at 27, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 73% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 8, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 22 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 78% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with alternatives), Coles Group has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Coles Group because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 44 |
|
8 |
|
8 |
|
8 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 35 |
|
22 |
|
20 |
|
22 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 51 |
|
25 |
|
23 |
|
27 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 41 |
|
16 |
|
8 |
|
12 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
45 |
|
19 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
50 |
|
59 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
82 |
|
43 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
66 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
82 |
|
41 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Coles Group from December 19, 2024.
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