September 12, 2024
Top 10 Stock Imperial Brands Hold 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: Imperial Brands – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 100 Index
imperialbrandsplc.comindex.html
Imperial Brands is listed as a top 10 stock on September 12, 2024 in the market index FTSE 100 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 28 (28% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Imperial Brands on September 12, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Tobacco |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 8 |
| 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 Imperial Brands Hold
| 360 METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 25 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 10 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 75 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 28 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Imperial Brands are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Imperial Brands. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 55, which means that the share price of Imperial Brands is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 55% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 75, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 75% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 25, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 10, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 90 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 28, Imperial Brands is worse than 72% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 55) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 75), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 25) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 10). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of Imperial Brands is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Imperial Brands very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Imperial Brands is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators where all but one are above average for Imperial Brands. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 53 (better than 53% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. The Professional Investors rank is also good at 78, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 78% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. In addition, Market Pulse has a rank of 91 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 91% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change has a below-average rank of 31, which means that stock research experts are currently changing their opinions for the worse when it comes to recommending this stock. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in Imperial Brands. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 75 (more positive than 75% compared with investment alternatives), Imperial Brands has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. This is an early sign of caution, even if the stock has significantly appreciated. If analysts change their opinions, the stock may become too expensive. If the price is on the way down, the trend may continue. This may be a stock with a good reputation and history, but it may have reached its breaking point by now. Investors should look at the Value Ranks as well. If they indicate trouble, it might just materialize in the future. ...read more
Value Strategy: Imperial Brands Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), Imperial Brands shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Imperial Brands. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 93 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 93% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Imperial Brands'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 24, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 24% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 82% of alternatives (only 18% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 6% 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 55, is a buy recommendation based on Imperial Brands's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Imperial Brands Growth Momentum low
| GROWTH METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 6 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 29 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 57 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 85 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 25 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), Imperial Brands 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for Imperial Brands. Capital Growth has a rank of 57, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 29% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 85 (above 85% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 94% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 29. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Imperial Brands, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Imperial Brands Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 13 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 6 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 63 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 10 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), the company Imperial Brands 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 Imperial Brands 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 just one indicator above average for Imperial Brands. Liquidity is at 63, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 63% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 6, 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 94% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 13, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 87% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with alternatives), Imperial Brands has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Imperial Brands Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 55 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 25 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 63 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 10 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with investment alternatives), Imperial Brands (Tobacco, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Imperial Brands are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 55 (better than 55% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 10), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation based on Imperial Brands's financial characteristics. As the company Imperial Brands's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 55) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 10), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 55% 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. ...read more
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