June 1, 2023
Top 10 Stock Fast Retailing Hold 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: Fast Retailing – Top 10 Stock in Tokyo Stock Exchange TOPIX 100
Fast Retailing is listed as a top 10 stock on June 01, 2023 in the market index TOPIX 100 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. While the company shows high growth, the stock price is high yet professional investor sentiment is low, which may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior, reflected in a low stock price value. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 28 (28% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Fast Retailing on June 01, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Japan |
| Industry | Apparel Retail |
| Index | TOPIX 100, Nikkei 225 |
| Size class | XX-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° Assessment Fast Retailing Hold
| 360 METRICS | June 1, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 3 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 53 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 41 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 28 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Fast Retailing are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Fast Retailing. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 87, 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 87% of competitors in the same industry. In addition, the consolidated Safety Rank has a safer rank of 53 which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 53 comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 3 which means that the share price of Fast Retailing is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is higher than for 97% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 41, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 59% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a 360° View of 28, Fast Retailing is worse than 72% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, the picture is ambiguous. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 87), and the company is safely financed (Safety Rank of 53). However, professional market sentiment is critical (Sentiment Rank of 41). The negative market view on Fast Retailing may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to board the train, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. It is typical for growth companies to have low value ratings, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of Fast Retailing compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one minus the growth 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 (even though it is lower than 50). As market sentiment is critical, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company’s future growth potential. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Fast Retailing only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Fast Retailing is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and above average for Fast Retailing. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 40 (worse than 60% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 71 which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Fast Retailing. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 58, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive in their discussions about this company (more positive news than for 58% of competitors). Only professional investors tend to be absent with a Professional Investors rank of 28, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 72% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. But that could also be due to the size of the company. Professional investors tend to invest in XL and XXL companies. If the company is smaller than that, that fact alone may explain why there are fewer pros present. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 41 (less encouraging than 59% compared with investment alternatives), Fast Retailing has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. Since analysts are getting more optimistic and the professional communication channels are positive, it may be an indication of a company that has the difficult times behind it or is getting less expensive for what they are. For medium to smaller companies, the positive sentiment indicators outshine the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: Fast Retailing Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 3 (worse than 97% compared with alternatives), Fast Retailing 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 Fast Retailing. Price-to-Sales is 7 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 93% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Fast Retailing's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 11, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Fast Retailing. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 12 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 84% 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 3, is a SELL recommendation based on Fast Retailing's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Fast Retailing? 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 Fast Retailing? It's risky, and even if it continues to grow because of popular demand, it will most likely return to what it's worth. 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 reasonable for the company to dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Fast Retailing 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. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Fast Retailing Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Fast Retailing 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 but one indicator above average for Fast Retailing. Sales Growth has a rank of 70 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 70% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 23% of competitors with a rank of 67, and Stock Returns with the rank of 93 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 23 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 87, is a BUY recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communications about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, Fast Retailing is a good growth stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Fast Retailing Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | June 1, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 40 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 50 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 67 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 53 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with alternatives), the company Fast Retailing has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Fast Retailing 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 Fast Retailing. Refinancing is at 50, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 50% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 67, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 67% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 40, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 60% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with alternatives), Fast Retailing has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Fast Retailing could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Fast Retailing Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | June 1, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 3 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 67 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 37 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 37 (worse than 63% compared with investment alternatives), Fast Retailing (Apparel Retail, Japan) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Fast Retailing are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Obermatt Value Rank of 3 (worse than 97% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 87) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 53, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: An Obermatt Combined Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation based on Fast Retailing's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Fast Retailing exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 3), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 87). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 53) 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). ...read more
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