July 18, 2024
Top 10 Stock ITC 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: ITC – Top 10 Stock in Independent Boards in Growth Markets
ITC is listed as a top 10 stock on July 18, 2024 in the market index Independent Boards Growth Markets because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Three consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. Only the Value Rank is below average. The investment rationale may be an investment in future growth, supported by professional market opinion. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 75 (top 75% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for ITC on July 18, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | India |
| Industry | Tobacco |
| Index | BSE Sensex, Low Emissions, Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Independent Boards Growth Markets, Low Waste, Recycling, CNX Nifty 50 |
| Size class | X-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 ITC Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 22 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 65 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 94 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 70 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 75 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock ITC are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for ITC. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 65, 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 65% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank at 94 means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 94% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 70, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 70% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank is less desirable at 22, meaning that the share price of ITC is on the higher side compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 78% of alternative stocks in the same industry. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 75, ITC is better positioned than 75% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65), a safe financing structure (Safety Rank of 94), and positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 70), it is a solid stock investment where growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale, also reflected by institutional investors. 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 more do you pay for the stock of ITC compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The growth rank measures the growth momentum of the company (65% better than peers). The value rank could be the reverse reflection of that (35%). A Value Rank below that level may be assessed as expensive, a rank above that is still good value. Sometimes market sentiment just reflects the past, sometimes the 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 ITC positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock ITC is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for ITC. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 91 (better than 91% 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 ITC. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 94, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 94% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 70 (more positive than 70% compared with investment alternatives), ITC 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 3, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 97% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for ITC 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: ITC Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 22 (worse than 78% compared with alternatives), ITC shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for ITC. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 55% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 5 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 95% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning ITC's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 26 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 74% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 21 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 79% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 22, is a sell recommendation based on ITC's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick ITC? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose ITC only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: ITC Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), ITC 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for ITC. Sales Growth has a rank of 77 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 77% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 31% of competitors with a rank of 78. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 31, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 69% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 44. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. ...read more
Safety Strategy: ITC Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 98 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 39 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 100 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 94 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company ITC has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of ITC 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 ITC. Leverage is at a rank of 98, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 98% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 100, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 100% 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 39, 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 61% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives), ITC has a financing structure that is significantly safer 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 ITC. 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: ITC Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | July 18, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 22 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 65 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 68 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with investment alternatives), ITC (Tobacco, India) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of ITC are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 22 (worse than 78% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 94, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 68, is a buy recommendation based on ITC's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company ITC exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 22), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 65). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 94) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more
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