August 22, 2024
Top 10 Stock Itochu Sell 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: Itochu – Top 10 Stock in Tokyo Stock Exchange TOPIX 100
Itochu is listed as a top 10 stock on August 22, 2024 in the market index TOPIX 100 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company enjoys a positive professional investor sentiment, but all financial facts speak against a stock purchase. This is probably an investment into the future. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 14 (14% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for Itochu on August 22, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Japan |
| Industry | Trading & Distribution |
| Index | TOPIX 100, Nikkei 225 |
| 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 Itochu Sell
| 360 METRICS | August 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 35 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 21 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 88 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 14 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 14 (better than 14% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Itochu are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Itochu. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 88, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 88% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 21, which means that the share price of Itochu is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 35, meaning that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. This means that growth is lower than for 35% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 21 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 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 14, Itochu is worse than 86% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that Itochu shares are on the riskier side for investors. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 88) is above-average, and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below peers, the stock investing proposition case is rather weak. The stock price is expensive for a company of this size in this industry, visible in the below-average Value Rank. Growth is below the competition based on the Growth Rank, and the company has more debt than other companies, according to the Safety Rank. So the question becomes: How important is the Sentiment Rank when all others are below average? When it comes to growth, the low rating might be justified if growth is expected in the future and not yet reflected in current performance. This is often the case for companies with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In the early phases, these companies are expensive compared with their size and may have a lot of debt on their books, as is the case here, as seen in the low Value and Safety Ranks. Future growth may be the strongest investment rationale in this case, which is only reflected by institutional investors' opinions. You pay more than the market average for this stock and invest in a rather debt-loaded enterprise, but it may be worth it if the future of Itochụ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Itochu very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Itochu is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Itochu. 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 76, 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 Itochu. The Professional Investors rank is 90, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 90% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 68 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 68% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 88 (more positive than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Itochu has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Itochu 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: Itochu Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Itochu shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Itochu. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 53 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Itochu'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 32, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 32% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 59% of alternatives (only 41% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 47% 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 21, is a sell recommendation based on Itochu'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: Itochu Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), Itochu 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 Itochu. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 16, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 84% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 15, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 48. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 52% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 81, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 81% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 35, 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 Itochu, 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: Itochu Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | August 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 30 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 19 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 40 |
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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 Itochu 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 Itochu 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 Itochu. Liquidity is at 40, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 60% 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 30, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 70% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 19 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Itochu 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: Itochu Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 22, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 35 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 40 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 5 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 5 (worse than 95% compared with investment alternatives), Itochu (Trading & Distribution, Japan) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Itochu are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 35), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 21), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 5, is a sell recommendation based on Itochu's financial characteristics. As the company Itochu's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 21), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 35), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 21), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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