Fact based stock research
First Community (NasdaqCM:FCCO)

US3198351047

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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.

First Community stock research in summary

firstcommunitysc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 25 (worse than 75% compared with investment alternatives), First Community (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Community are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 47 (worse than 53% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 3, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 73). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation based on First Community's financial characteristics. As the company First Community shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 47 (53% 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 73% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 73). 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 3 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 First Community, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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	47
Growth Rank	73
Safety Rank	3
Combined Rank	25

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	X-Small

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: First Community

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	77	53	43	47
GROWTH
GROWTH	16	57	39	73
SAFETY
SAFETY	42	7	22	3
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	53	37	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	25	24	^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 Community is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	77	53	43	47
GROWTH
GROWTH	16	57	39	73
SAFETY
SAFETY	42	7	22	3
COMBINED
COMBINED	42	17	22	25

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 47 (worse than 53% compared with alternatives), First Community shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for First Community. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 83, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than 83% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to First Community's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 39, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 61% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 75% of alternatives (only 25% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 57% 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 47, is a hold recommendation based on First Community's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in First Community could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, First Community looks like an expensive investment today. 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)	85	89	68	83
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	61	64	25	43
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	67	1	38	25
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	51	37	39	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	77	53	43	47

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), First Community shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for First Community. Sales Growth has a value of 70 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 70% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 85 and Capital Growth with a rank of 55 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 49, which means that stock returns have recently been below 51% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. First Community has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for First Community, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. 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. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	20	33	74	70
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	20	70	26	85
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	75	27	55
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	24	39	61	49
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	16	57	39	73

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 Community.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 3 (better than 3% compared with alternatives), the company First Community 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 First Community 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 First Community. Liquidity is at 39, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 61% 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 6, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 94% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 19 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 3 (worse than 97% compared with alternatives), First Community 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 First Community because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	37	8	19	6
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	78	17	22	19
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	12	73	75	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	42	7	22	3

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Community 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	39	19	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	19	33	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	96	80	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	53	37	^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 Community.
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