October 10, 2024
Top 10 Stock Costain 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: Costain – Top 10 Stock in Diversity Leaders in Europe
Costain is listed as a top 10 stock on October 10, 2024 in the market index Diversity Europe because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, it is a solid investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is low, despite a currently slow growth momentum. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 85 (top 85% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Costain on October 10, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Construction & Engineering |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, Dividends Europe, Diversity Europe, Sound Pay Europe |
| Size class | 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 Costain Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | October 10, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 73 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 13 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 97 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 79 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 85 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Costain are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Costain. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 73, which means that the share price of Costain is on the lower side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 73% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 97. In addition, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 79. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 13, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth and momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. 87 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 85, Costain is better positioned than 85% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks show above-average performance. The stock has as good value (Value Rank of 73), secure financing practices (Safety Rank of 97), and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 79). It is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited, and disappointments are less likely to occur. The company’s growth expectations are below the industry average (Growth Rank of 13), but that could also be temporary since professional investors remain optimistic despite the low growth numbers. The low price as reflected in the good Value Rank could indicate that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this. Companies that grow less are typically cheaper than fast-growing competitors. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Costain is as difficult as the stock’s low price suggests, despite the positive professional investor sentiment. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock may just go through a more challenging phase now, indicating good timing. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Costain very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Costain is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Costain. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 90 (better than 90% 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 with a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Costain. The Professional Investors rank is 58, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 58% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 62 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 62% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 79 (more positive than 79% compared with investment alternatives), Costain has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Costain stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: Costain Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), Costain shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Costain. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 79, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 79% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding Costain's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 83% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 76. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 10% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than Costain (a Dividend Yield Rank of 10). 90% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation based on Costain's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Costain Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), Costain shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Costain. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 94% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 6, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 45. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 55% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 97, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 97% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Costain, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Costain Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | October 10, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 96 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 83 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 55 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 97 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 97 (better than 97% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Costain has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Costain 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 Costain. Leverage is at 96, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 96% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 83, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 83% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 55, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 55% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 97 (better than 97% compared with alternatives), Costain 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: Costain Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 10, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 73 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 13 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 55 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 73 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with investment alternatives), Costain (Construction & Engineering, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Costain are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 97, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation based on Costain's financial characteristics. As the company Costain's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 73) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 97), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 73% 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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