August 15, 2024
Top 10 Stock Harmony Strong Buy 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: Harmony – Top 10 Stock in Copper Mining and Production


harmony.co.za


Harmony is listed as a top 10 stock on August 15, 2024 in the market index Copper because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 82 (top 82% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Harmony on August 15, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country South Africa
Industry Gold Production
Index Copper, Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Gold, Silver, Uranium, Water Efficiency, JSE All Shares
Size class Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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° View Harmony Strong Buy

360 METRICS August 15, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 82 (better than 82% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Harmony are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Harmony. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 97, 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 97% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 80, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 80% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 42, which means that the share price of Harmony is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 58% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 43, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 57% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 82, Harmony is better positioned than 82% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 97), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 80), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. It is typical for growth companies to have low value, as is the case here. Investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value 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 if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects reality. You pay more than the market average for this stock, but it may be worth it. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Harmony very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS August 15, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Harmony is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Harmony. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 1 (worse than 99% 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 58, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Harmony. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 100, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 100% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 83, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 83% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 80 (more positive than 80% compared with investment alternatives), Harmony has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Harmony Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS August 15, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 42 (worse than 58% compared with alternatives), Harmony 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 Harmony. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 73, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 73% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Harmony's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 45 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 55% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Harmony's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 46 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 61% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation based on Harmony's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Can we rely on only one good value indicator? Only if we know the company well. In this case, a high Price-to-Profit Rank, while Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book are both below the market typical levels, means that the company can charge higher prices for its products and needs less capital to produce them. If this is sustainable, then Harmony is a good investment because profits count most in enterprise valuations. The low dividend yield indicates that the company is confident it can do something with the generated cash that is more valuable than paying the profits out to the shareholders in the form of dividends. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Harmony Growth Momentum high

GROWTH METRICS August 15, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 97 (better than 97% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Harmony 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 four indicators above average for Harmony. Sales Growth has a value of 60, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 60% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 84 and for Capital Growth with 71. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 98, which means they have been higher than 98% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 97, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Harmony exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Harmony Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS August 15, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), the company Harmony has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Harmony 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 two out of three indicators above average for Harmony. Leverage is at a rank of 64, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 63, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 63% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 23, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 77% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with alternatives), Harmony has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Harmony. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Harmony Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE August 15, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with investment alternatives), Harmony (Gold Production, South Africa) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Harmony are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 42 (worse than 58% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 43, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 97). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 75, is a strong buy recommendation based on Harmony's financial characteristics. As the company Harmony shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 42 (58% 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 97% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 97). 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 43 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 Harmony, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more

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