September 19, 2024
Top 10 Stock Iron Mountain 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: Iron Mountain – Top 10 Stock in Real Estate in the United States
Iron Mountain is listed as a top 10 stock on September 19, 2024 in the market index R/E USA 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 51 (high 51% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Iron Mountain on September 19, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | REITs: Specialized |
| Index | Employee Focus US, Renewables Users, R/E USA, S&P 500 |
| 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 Iron Mountain Buy
| 360 METRICS | September 19, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 43 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 79 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 21 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 58 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 51 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Iron Mountain are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Iron Mountain. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 79, 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 79% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 58, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 58% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 43, which means that the share price of Iron Mountain 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 57% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 21, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 79% 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 51, Iron Mountain is better positioned than 51% 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 79), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 58), 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 Iron Mountain positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Iron Mountain is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Iron Mountain. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 52 (better than 52% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Iron Mountain. The Professional Investors rank is 56, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 56% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 83 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 83% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 58 (more positive than 58% compared with investment alternatives), Iron Mountain has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Iron Mountain stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: Iron Mountain Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with alternatives), Iron Mountain shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Iron Mountain. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 52, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 52% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Iron Mountain'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 28 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 72% 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 10, 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 43, is a hold recommendation based on Iron Mountain's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Iron Mountain 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). ...read more
Growth Strategy: Iron Mountain Growth Momentum high
| GROWTH METRICS | September 19, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 84 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 45 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 30 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 100 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 79 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Iron Mountain 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for Iron Mountain. Sales Growth has a rank of 84 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 84% of its competitors. Stock Returns are also above average with a rank of 100. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 30, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 70% of its competitors. Profit Growth is also low, with a rank of only 45, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits below average. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 79, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is a surprising picture, as the messages from the operating growth indicators of revenues, profits, and invested capital are mixed, while stock returns are above average. It may indicate new intellectual properties, such as brand improvement or a strong market position that shows in revenues but not in the capital. The low profit-growth rate may indicate an early phase where costs are still high, and revenues don't fully cover upfront investments or fixed costs. The positive investor outlook with a 100% peer outperformance is reaffirmed in this case which may be a good sign for an investment into a well-protected high-growth company. This fact needs to be confirmed by researching the company website and press. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Iron Mountain Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | September 19, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 8 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 41 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 31 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 21 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), the company Iron Mountain 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 Iron Mountain 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 Iron Mountain. Liquidity is at 31, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 69% 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 8, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 41 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Iron Mountain 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.
Combined financial peformance: Iron Mountain Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 19, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 43 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 79 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 31 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 49 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with investment alternatives), Iron Mountain (REITs: Specialized, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Iron Mountain are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 43 (worse than 57% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 21, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 79). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on Iron Mountain's financial characteristics. As the company Iron Mountain shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 43 (57% 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 79% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 79). 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 21 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 Iron Mountain, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
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