Fact based stock research
Lifeco (TSX:GWO)

CA39138C1068

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.

Lifeco stock research in summary

greatwestlifeco.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 50 (better than 50% compared with investment alternatives), Lifeco (Life & Health Insurance, Canada) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lifeco are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 50, is a buy recommendation based on Lifeco's financial characteristics. As the company Lifeco's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 27), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 71% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. 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	71
Growth Rank	13
Safety Rank	27
Combined Rank	50

Country	Canada
Industry	Life & Health Insurance
Index	Renewables Users, TSX Composite
Size class	XX-Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-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.

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

Research History: Lifeco

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	71	85	78	71
GROWTH
GROWTH	73	59	85	13
SAFETY
SAFETY	81	27	27	27
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	53	76	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	89	88	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Lifeco is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	71	85	78	71
GROWTH
GROWTH	73	59	85	13
SAFETY
SAFETY	81	27	27	27
COMBINED
COMBINED	91	50	50	50

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Lifeco the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), Lifeco shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Lifeco. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 72 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 72% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Lifeco'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 44, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 44% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 52% of alternatives (only 48% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 3% 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 71, is a buy recommendation based on Lifeco'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. 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)	80	91	84	48
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	56	65	59	72
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	33	31	41	44
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	86	99	92	97
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	71	85	78	71

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Lifeco; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), Lifeco 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 metrics below average for Lifeco. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 54, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 54% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 3, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 97% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 43 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 25 (75% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. 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 limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	62	82	41	3
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	40	46	51	54
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	31	73	43
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	82	59	89	25
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	73	59	85	13

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Lifeco.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), the company Lifeco has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Lifeco 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, where all three are above average for Lifeco. Leverage is at 66, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 66% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 96, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 96% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 98, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 98% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Lifeco has a financing structure that is riskier 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. Investors may not have a debt issue with Lifeco but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	65	28	61	66
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	96	96	96	96
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	68	54	53	98
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	81	27	27	27

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Lifeco 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	16	36	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	67	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	39	90	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	68	77	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	53	76	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Lifeco.
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