Fact based stock research
First Foundation (NasdaqGM:FFWM)

US32026V1044

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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 Foundation stock research in summary

firstfoundationinc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), First Foundation (Regional Banks, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of First Foundation are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 60 (better than 60% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 7), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 1), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on First Foundation's financial characteristics. As the company First Foundation's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 60) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 7) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 1), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 60% of comparable companies, may indicate 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. 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	60
Growth Rank	7
Safety Rank	1
Combined Rank	1

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	XX-Large

14-Nov-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 Foundation

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	27	69	58	60
GROWTH
GROWTH	61	71	45	7
SAFETY
SAFETY	58	89	30	1
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	21	24	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	87	28	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better First Foundation is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	27	69	58	60
GROWTH
GROWTH	61	71	45	7
SAFETY
SAFETY	58	89	30	1
COMBINED
COMBINED	42	99	43	1

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of First Foundation the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), First Foundation shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for First Foundation. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 95, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 95% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning First Foundation's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 97% of alternatives (3% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 11 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 89% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 1, 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 60, is a buy recommendation based on First Foundation's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for First Foundation may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	35	47	95	95
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	57	72	1	1
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	27	42	97	97
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	29	59	12	11
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	27	69	58	60

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of First Foundation; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), First Foundation 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 First Foundation. While Sales Growth ranks at 93, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 93% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 1, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 99% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 1. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 49 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 51% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 7, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. 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 isn't stellar here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	58	94	90	93
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	29	1	1
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	81	80	1
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	73	41	3	49
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	61	71	45	7

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of First Foundation.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), the company First Foundation 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 Foundation 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 Foundation. Liquidity is at 40, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 60% 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 1 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 99% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), First Foundation 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 Foundation because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	71	100	100	6
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	24	4	4	1
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	68	74	12	40
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	58	89	30	1

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of First Foundation 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	91	83	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	7	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	1	10	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	34	9	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	21	24	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for First Foundation.
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