August 10, 2023
Top 10 Stock Kirby 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: Kirby – Top 10 Stock in SDG 4: Quality Education
Kirby is listed as a top 10 stock on August 10, 2023 in the market index SDG 4 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 85 (top 85% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Kirby on August 10, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
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 Kirby Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | August 10, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 20 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 63 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 75 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 98 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 85 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Kirby are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Kirby. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 63, 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 63% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank at 75 means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 75% 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 98, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 98% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank is less desirable at 20, meaning that the share price of Kirby is on the higher side compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 80% of alternative stocks in the same industry. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 85, Kirby is better positioned than 85% 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 63), a safe financing structure (Safety Rank of 75), and positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 98), 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 Kirby compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The growth rank measures the growth momentum of the company (63% better than peers). The value rank could be the reverse reflection of that (37%). 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 Kirby very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Kirby is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Kirby. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 100 (better than 100% 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 96, 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 Kirby. Finally, 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. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 98 (more positive than 98% compared with investment alternatives), Kirby has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than 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 42, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 58% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for Kirby 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: Kirby Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with alternatives), Kirby shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators where three out of four are below average for Kirby. Only the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) indicates good stock value with a Price-to-Book Rank of 58, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 58% of comparable investments. All other value indicators are below the market median. Price-to-Sales is 34 which means the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 66% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Kirby's revenue levels. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 58 and for the dividend yields rank which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on Kirby's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Why are market participants paying such a high price for Kirby, where three out of four value indicators are below par? One reason could be that the company is well financed, indicated by the high book capital level, and has a promising future that is not yet visible in reported revenues and profits. That would also explain the low dividend yield because the company needs the cash to invest in its future. If investors can verify a picture in this sense, the stock may still be a good investment, even though current company-reported financials don't fully explain current stock prices. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Kirby Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), Kirby 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 Kirby. Profit Growth has a rank of 83, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 83% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 73 (above 73% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 34, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 17. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for Kirby. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Kirby Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | August 10, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 78 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 78 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 46 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 75 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2023, the company Kirby has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Kirby 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 where two out of three are above average for Kirby.Leverage is at 78, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 78% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 78, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 78% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 46, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 54% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives), Kirby has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Kirby Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 10, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 20 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 63 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 46 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 62 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 62 (better than 62% compared with investment alternatives), Kirby (Marine, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Kirby are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 20 (worse than 80% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 63) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 75, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 62, is a buy recommendation based on Kirby's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Kirby exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 20), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 63). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 75) 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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