Fact based stock research
Meridian (NasdaqGS:MRBK)

US58958P1049

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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.

Meridian stock research in summary

meridianbanker.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with investment alternatives), Meridian (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Meridian are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 96 (better than 96% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 42), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 1), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation based on Meridian's financial characteristics. As the company Meridian's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 96) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 42) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 1), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 96% 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	96
Growth Rank	42
Safety Rank	1
Combined Rank	35

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	XX-Large

2-May-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.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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

Research History: Meridian

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	77	85	94	96
GROWTH
GROWTH	78	47	39	42
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	57	13	1
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	94	56	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	97	56	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 2-May-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Meridian is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	77	85	94	96
GROWTH
GROWTH	78	47	39	42
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	57	13	1
COMBINED
COMBINED	57	87	52	35

Last update of combined financial performance: 2-May-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Meridian the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Meridian shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Meridian. Price-to-Sales is 95 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 95% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Meridian's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 95% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 87. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Meridian are expected to be higher than for 90% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 90). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 96, is a buy recommendation based on Meridian's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Meridian based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	98	88	95	95
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	96	100	81	95
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	37	44	69	87
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	33	45	72	90
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	77	85	94	96

Last update of Value Rank: 2-May-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Meridian; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 42 (better than 42% compared with alternatives), Meridian shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Meridian. Sales Growth has a rank of 78, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 78% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 82 is also above average. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 7, and Stock Returns with 43 are also below-average. Stock returns for Meridian have recently been below 57% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Are investors forecasting troubles based on the lack of operating investment activity at the company? This could be one explanation as to why stock returns are low. But stock returns can also be the result of correcting an error in the past, in this case, an overly optimistic outlook on the future, which is now more realistic. The Value Ranks may confirm such a picture. The more important growth indicators are revenues and profits, which are both above average for Meridian. This is a positive sign from the company's operational side and may give investors courage, despite the poor recent stock price performance. 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 the Obermatt Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	86	1	85	78
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	34	24	82
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	73	36	7
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	59	99	39	43
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	78	47	39	42

Last update of Growth Rank: 2-May-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Meridian.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), the company Meridian has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Meridian 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 Meridian. Liquidity is at 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% 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 2, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 98% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 34 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 66% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), Meridian has a financing structure that is significantly 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. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Meridian because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	16	34	2	2
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	1	95	91	34
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	38	31	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	3	57	13	1

Last update of Safety Rank: 2-May-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Meridian 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	45	64	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	78	50	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	92	33	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	94	56	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 2-May-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Meridian.
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