March 7, 2024
Top 10 Stock Manulife Financial 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: Manulife Financial – Top 10 Stock in Toronto Stock Exchange Index TSX Composite
Manulife Financial 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. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 94 (top 94% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Manulife Financial on March 07, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | Canada |
| Industry | Life & Health Insurance |
| 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 Manulife Financial Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 72 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 52 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 92 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 94 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Manulife Financial are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for Manulife Financial. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 72, which means that the share price of Manulife Financial is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 72% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 52, 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. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 100. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 92. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 94, Manulife Financial is better positioned than 94% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 72), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 52), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 100), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 92), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Manulife Financial is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Manulife Financial very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Manulife Financial is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Manulife Financial. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 64 (better than 64% 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 91, 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 Manulife Financial. The Professional Investors rank is 78, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 78% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 87 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 87% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 92 (more positive than 92% compared with investment alternatives), Manulife Financial 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 Manulife Financial 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: Manulife Financial Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with alternatives), Manulife Financial shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Manulife Financial. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 79 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 79% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Manulife Financial's profit levels. The same is valid for the expected Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 64, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 94. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 61% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 39). Profits, the level of invested capital, and dividend policy suggest that this stock is attractively priced. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 72, is a buy recommendation based on Manulife Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since it is on the expensive side for Price-to-Sales, it may mean that Manulife Financial has pricing power in its distribution market because it can charge higher prices than its competitors. If this is the case, all four value indicators are positive signals for purchasing Manulife Financial shares. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Manulife Financial Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with alternatives), Manulife Financial 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 three out of four indicators below average for Manulife Financial. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 36, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 64% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 36, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 21. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 79% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 73, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 73% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 52, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Manulife Financial, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Manulife Financial Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 73 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 76 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 29 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2022, the company Manulife Financial has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Manulife Financial 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 Manulife Financial.Leverage is at 73, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 73% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 76, 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 76% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 29, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 71% 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 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives), Manulife Financial 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: Manulife Financial Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | March 7, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 72 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 52 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 29 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 91 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 91 (better than 91% compared with investment alternatives), Manulife Financial (Life & Health Insurance, Canada) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Manulife Financial are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 72 (better than 72% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 52), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 100), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 91, is a strong buy recommendation based on Manulife Financial's financial characteristics. As the company Manulife Financial's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 72), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 52), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 100), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Manulife Financial. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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