July 4, 2024
Top 10 Stock Hera 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: Hera – Top 10 Stock in Employee Satisfaction Leaders in Europe
Hera is listed as a top 10 stock on July 04, 2024 in the market index Employee Focus EU because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, it is a solid investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is low, despite a currently slow growth momentum. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 80 (top 80% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Hera on July 04, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Italy |
| Industry | Multi-Utilities |
| Index | MIB, Low Emissions, Employee Focus EU, Diversity Europe, Low Waste, Recycling, Sound Pay Europe, Water Efficiency, Water Tech |
| Size class | XX-Large |
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 Hera Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 4, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 78 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 33 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 88 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 52 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 80 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Hera are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Hera. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 78, which means that the share price of Hera is on the lower side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 78% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 88. In addition, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 52. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 33, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth and momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. 67 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 80, Hera is better positioned than 80% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks show above-average performance. The stock has as good value (Value Rank of 78), secure financing practices (Safety Rank of 88), and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 52). It is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited, and disappointments are less likely to occur. The company’s growth expectations are below the industry average (Growth Rank of 33), but that could also be temporary since professional investors remain optimistic despite the low growth numbers. The low price as reflected in the good Value Rank could indicate that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this. Companies that grow less are typically cheaper than fast-growing competitors. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Hera is as difficult as the stock’s low price suggests, despite the positive professional investor sentiment. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock may just go through a more challenging phase now, indicating good timing. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Hera positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Hera is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Hera. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 87 (better than 87% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in Hera. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 50, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 50% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 52 (more positive than 52% compared with investment alternatives), Hera has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 37, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 63% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for Hera is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: Hera Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 78 (better than 78% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Hera shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Hera. Price-to-Sales is 85 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 85% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Hera's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 74% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 67. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Hera are expected to be higher than for 50% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 50). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 78, is a buy recommendation based on Hera's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Hera based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: Hera Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), Hera 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 Hera. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 94% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 39, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 39. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 61% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 88, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 88% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 33, 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 Hera, 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. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Hera Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | July 4, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 36 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 83 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 65 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 88 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Hera has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Hera 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 Hera. Refinancing is at 83, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 83% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 65, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 65% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 36, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 64% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives), Hera has a financing structure that is significantly 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 Hera 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. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Hera Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 4, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 78 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 33 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 65 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 92 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with investment alternatives), Hera (Multi-Utilities, Italy) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Hera are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 78 (better than 78% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 88, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 92, is a strong buy recommendation based on Hera's financial characteristics. As the company Hera's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 78) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 88), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 78% of comparable companies, may also indicate that 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 and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
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