Fact based stock research
KBC (ENXTBR:KBC)

BE0003565737

How to read the free 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.

KBC stock research in summary

kbc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with investment alternatives), KBC (Diversified Banks, Belgium) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of KBC are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 41), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 6), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 6, is a sell recommendation based on KBC's financial characteristics. As the company KBC's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 33), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 41), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 6), 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. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	33
Growth Rank	41
Safety Rank	6
Combined Rank	6

Country	Belgium
Industry	Diversified Banks
Index	BEL20, Diversity Europe, Human Rights, Renewables Users, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 7, SDG 8
Size class	X-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: KBC

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	21	37	53	33
GROWTH
GROWTH	94	65	6	41
SAFETY
SAFETY	72	52	76	6
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	51	25	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	47	30	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better KBC is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	21	37	53	33
GROWTH
GROWTH	94	65	6	41
SAFETY
SAFETY	72	52	76	6
COMBINED
COMBINED	61	48	39	6

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of KBC the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 33 (worse than 67% compared with alternatives), KBC shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for KBC. 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 52% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to KBC's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 38, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 62% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 66% of alternatives (only 34% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 69% of comparable companies, 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 33, is a hold recommendation based on KBC's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in KBC could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, KBC looks like an expensive investment today. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	19	31	53	52
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	32	32	50	31
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	34	27	34	34
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	30	76	76	38
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	21	37	53	33

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of KBC; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), KBC 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 KBC. Sales Growth has a rank of 74 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 74% of its competitors. Stock Returns are also above average with a rank of 65. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 47, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 53% of its competitors. Profit Growth is also low, with a rank of only 24, 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 41, is a hold 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 65% 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. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	64	63	38	74
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	10	54	30	24
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	73	17	47
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	92	45	20	65
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	94	65	6	41

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of KBC.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 6 (better than 6% compared with alternatives), the company KBC 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 KBC 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 KBC. 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 44, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 56% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 27 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 73% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with alternatives), KBC 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. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of KBC because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	98	48	56	44
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	38	37	69	27
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	66	74	47	31
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	72	52	76	6

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of KBC and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	23	17	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	78	54	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	60	20	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	51	76	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	51	25	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for KBC.
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