March 7, 2024
Top 10 Stock Loblaw 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: Loblaw – Top 10 Stock in Toronto Stock Exchange Index TSX Composite
Loblaw is listed as a top 10 stock on March 07, 2024 in the market index TSX Composite because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 67 (high 67% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Loblaw on March 07, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Canada |
| Industry | Food Retail |
| Index | TSX Composite |
| 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 Loblaw Buy
| 360 METRICS | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 32 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 59 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 31 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 100 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 67 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Loblaw are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Loblaw. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 59, 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 59% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 100, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 100% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 32, which means that the share price of Loblaw is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 68% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 31, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 69% 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 67, Loblaw is better positioned than 67% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 59), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 100), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. 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 do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects 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 Loblaw very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Loblaw is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Loblaw. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 74 (better than 74% 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 90, 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 Loblaw. The Professional Investors rank is 67, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 67% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 97 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 97% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 100 (more positive than 100% compared with investment alternatives), Loblaw 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 Loblaw 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: Loblaw Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 32 (worse than 68% compared with alternatives), Loblaw 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 Loblaw. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 51 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 51% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Loblaw'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 41, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 41% 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 40% 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 32, is a hold recommendation based on Loblaw'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: Loblaw Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), Loblaw 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 all but one indicator above average for Loblaw. Sales Growth has a rank of 53 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 53% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 64, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 77, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 42, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 58% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Loblaw Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 26 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 46 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 45 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 31 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), the company Loblaw 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 Loblaw 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 Loblaw. Liquidity is at 45, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 55% 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 26, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 74% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 46 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 54% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), Loblaw has a financing structure that is 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: Loblaw Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 32 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 59 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 45 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 15 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with investment alternatives), Loblaw (Food Retail, Canada) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Loblaw are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 32 (worse than 68% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 31, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 59). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation based on Loblaw's financial characteristics. As the company Loblaw shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 32 (68% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 59% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 59). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 31 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Loblaw, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
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