Fact based stock research
First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF)

US3198291078

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.

First Commonwealth Financial stock research in summary

fcbanking.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with investment alternatives), First Commonwealth Financial (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Commonwealth Financial are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 35) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 63), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation based on First Commonwealth Financial's financial characteristics. As the company First Commonwealth Financial's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 37) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 35), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 63) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	37
Growth Rank	35
Safety Rank	63
Combined Rank	27

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA
Size class	Medium

19-Dec-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: First Commonwealth Financial

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	60	35	39	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	60	52	91	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	65	47	85	63
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	35	39	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	27	80	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better First Commonwealth Financial is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	60	35	39	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	60	52	91	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	65	47	85	63
COMBINED
COMBINED	78	34	90	27

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of First Commonwealth Financial the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% compared with alternatives), First Commonwealth Financial shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for First Commonwealth Financial. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 61% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 40 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 60% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Commonwealth Financial's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 49 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 51% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 32 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 68% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation based on First Commonwealth Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick First Commonwealth Financial? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose First Commonwealth Financial only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. 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)	42	41	45	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	55	38	72	49
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	39	25	23	32
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	86	71	45	61
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	60	35	39	37

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of First Commonwealth Financial; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), First Commonwealth Financial 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 three out of four indicators below average for First Commonwealth Financial. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 91, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 44% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 14 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 86% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 44 and Stock Returns with a rank of 35 are also low (below 65% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for First Commonwealth Financial is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the 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 limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	42	41	73	14
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	81	77	87	44
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	12	43	91
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	53	71	87	35
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	60	52	91	35

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of First Commonwealth Financial.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), the company First Commonwealth Financial 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 First Commonwealth Financial 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 First Commonwealth Financial. Refinancing is at 66, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 66% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 85, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 85% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 12, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 88% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), First Commonwealth Financial 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 First Commonwealth Financial 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. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with First Commonwealth Financial 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	31	20	12	12
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	55	76	82	66
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	73	55	93	85
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	65	47	85	63

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Commonwealth Financial 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	37	70	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	29	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	23	47	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	52	48	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	35	39	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for First Commonwealth Financial.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.