Fact based stock research
First Defiance (NasdaqGS:FDEF)

US74052F1084

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 Defiance stock research in summary

premierfincorp.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with investment alternatives), First Defiance (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Defiance are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 70), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 46, is a hold recommendation based on First Defiance's financial characteristics. As the company First Defiance's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 49) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27), 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 70) 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	49
Growth Rank	27
Safety Rank	70
Combined Rank	46

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

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.

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Why popular stocks have low ratings

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

Research History: First Defiance

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	70	71	64	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	32	41	53	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	26	53	26	70
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	35	38	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	49	28	^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 Defiance is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	70	71	64	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	32	41	53	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	26	53	26	70
COMBINED
COMBINED	72	63	39	46

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), First Defiance shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for First Defiance. Expected dividend yields are higher than for 91% of comparable companies (a Dividend Yield rank of 91), making the stock attractive. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 75, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 75% of comparable investments. But in respect to sales and profits, the picture is reversed. Price-to-Sales is 12 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 88% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Defiance's sales levels. The Price-to-Profit ratio (also referred to as price-earnings (P/E) ratio) is also unfavorable for First Defiance with a rank of 37. This means that the stock price, compared with what market professionals expect for future profits, is higher than for 63% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning First Defiance's profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on First Defiance's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The company seems confident that it can generate a reasonable return on invested capital, because it pays an above-average dividend while profits are below what you would expect for a company with this stock price. If you agree with this practice and believe that profits will return to higher levels, as the current dividend policy suggests, First Defiance may be an attractive investment. If this is not the case, you may want to be careful with this stock as it is also expensive compared with its expected revenue levels. 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)	38	20	21	12
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	79	75	64	37
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	63	76	70	75
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	71	91	94	91
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	70	71	64	49

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), First Defiance 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 Defiance. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 42, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 58% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 49, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 17. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 83% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 51, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 51% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for First Defiance, 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. 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 low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	21	23	40	42
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	58	74	89	17
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	100	26	49
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	48	19	41	51
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	32	41	53	27

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 Defiance.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), the company First Defiance 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 Defiance 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 First Defiance. Leverage is at 52, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 52% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 60, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 60% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 64, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 64% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), First Defiance has a financing structure that is 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. Investors may not have a debt issue with First Defiance but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	35	42	55	52
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	21	62	62	60
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	62	33	1	64
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	26	53	26	70

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Defiance 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	26	59	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	32	60	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	72	28	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	35	38	^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 Defiance.
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