February 27, 2025
Top 10 Stock Kumba Iron Ore 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: Kumba Iron Ore – Top 10 Stock in Independent Boards in Growth Markets
Kumba Iron Ore is listed as a top 10 stock on February 27, 2025 in the market index Independent Boards Growth Markets because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company is safely financed, but all other facts speak against a stock purchase, especially the low market sentiment by professional investors. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 40 (40% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Kumba Iron Ore on February 27, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | South Africa |
| Industry | Steel |
| Index | Energy Efficient, Good Governace Growth Markets, Human Rights, Independent Boards Growth Markets, Water Efficiency, JSE All Shares |
| 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 Kumba Iron Ore Hold
| 360 METRICS | February 27, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 39 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 17 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 94 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 40 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 40 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Kumba Iron Ore are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Kumba Iron Ore. The only rank that is above average is the consolidated Safety Rank at 94, which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than those of 94% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the Value, Growth and Sentiment Ranks are all below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 39, which means that the share price of Kumba Iron Ore is on the high side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 17, which implies that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank is also low at a rank of 40, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 60% of alternative investment opportunities. While Safety is strong, it’s not the most critical indicator, so we suggest proceeding with caution if you are considering this stock. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 40, Kumba Iron Ore is worse than 60% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only the financing structure, namely the Safety Rank, is on the safer side and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below-average, this is a riskier stock investment proposition. This is especially the case, since professional investor sentiment, the consolidated Obermatt Sentiment Rank, is also low at 40. The negative market view on Kumba Iron Ore may be the high stock price (low value) or the low level of growth. This is a problem. As the Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated Obermatt Ranks, we cannot identify enough positive facts that are visible today to make a case for this stock investment. The company may have a strong future which would justify the high stock price, but this is not visible from investor behavior today. As market sentiment is critical, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock, and conduct further research into the company's future growth potential. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Kumba Iron Ore only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Kumba Iron Ore is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Kumba Iron Ore. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 32 (worse than 68% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are more positive in their investment recommendations in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Kumba Iron Ore. More encouragingly, the Professional Investors rank is 58, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 58% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But Market Pulse is on the lower side with a rank of 18, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 82% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 40 (less encouraging than 60% compared with investment alternatives), Kumba Iron Ore has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. The sentiment signals are mixed for Kumba Iron Ore. While analysts and the news channels are negative, there is a change in what analysts think. Above-average institutional investors in this company support them. Sentiment signals remain mixed with analysts and news channels pessimistic, though improving, and professional investors above average. ...read more
Value Strategy: Kumba Iron Ore Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% compared with alternatives), Kumba Iron Ore shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Kumba Iron Ore. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 60 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 60% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Kumba Iron Ore'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 34, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 34% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 68% of alternatives (only 32% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 12% 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 39, is a hold recommendation based on Kumba Iron Ore'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: Kumba Iron Ore Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 17 (better than 17% compared with alternatives), Kumba Iron Ore shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Kumba Iron Ore. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 76, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 45% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 1 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 99% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 45 and Stock Returns with a rank of 26 are also low (below 74% of alternative investments). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 17, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for Kumba Iron Ore is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Kumba Iron Ore Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | February 27, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 92 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 57 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 84 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 94 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company Kumba Iron Ore has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Kumba Iron Ore 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 all three are above average for Kumba Iron Ore. Leverage is at 92, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 92% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 57, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 57% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 84, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 84% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives), Kumba Iron Ore has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Kumba Iron Ore Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 27, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 39 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 17 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 84 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 44 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 44 (worse than 56% compared with investment alternatives), Kumba Iron Ore (Steel, South Africa) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Kumba Iron Ore are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 17) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 94), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation based on Kumba Iron Ore's financial characteristics. As the company Kumba Iron Ore's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 17), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 94) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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