July 4, 2024
Top 10 Stock Metro Bank 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: Metro Bank – Top 10 Stock in Employee Satisfaction Leaders in Europe


metrobankonline.co.uk


Metro Bank is listed as a top 10 stock on July 04, 2024 in the market index Employee Focus EU 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 44 (44% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Metro Bank on July 04, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country United Kingdom
Industry Regional Banks
Index FTSE All Shares, Employee Focus EU
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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 Metro Bank Hold

360 METRICS July 4, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 44 (better than 44% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Metro Bank are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Metro Bank. 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 44, which means that the share price of Metro Bank 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 48, 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 1, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 99% 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 44, Metro Bank is worse than 56% 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 1. The negative market view on Metro Bank 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 Metro Bank negative

SENTIMENT METRICS July 4, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Metro Bank is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Metro Bank. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 1 (worse than 99% 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 have found something to make them more positive about investing in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Metro Bank. But the Professional Investors rank is low at 4, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 96% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. Market Pulse is also low at a rank of 3, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 97% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 1 (less encouraging than 99% compared with investment alternatives), Metro Bank has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. These are quite a few negative sentiment signals. One may want to trust the analysts that are changing their opinions. They may be early indications of better times, especially if the company is a smaller one. But If they are an extra large company, they should have more professional stockholders than are currently present. ...read more



Value Strategy: Metro Bank Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS July 4, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 44 (worse than 56% compared with alternatives), Metro Bank shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Metro Bank. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 97, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 97% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Metro Bank's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 95% of alternatives (5% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 99% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 3, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation based on Metro Bank's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Metro Bank may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). ...read more



Growth Strategy: Metro Bank Growth Momentum low

GROWTH METRICS July 4, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 48 (better than 48% compared with alternatives), Metro Bank 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 three out of four indicators below-average for Metro Bank. While Sales Growth ranks at 100, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 100% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 40, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 60% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 40. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 1 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 99% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 48, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Metro Bank Debt Financing Safety very solid

SAFETY METRICS July 4, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Metro Bank has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Metro Bank 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, with two out of three indicators above average for Metro Bank. Leverage is at a rank of 100, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 100% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 98, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 98% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 28, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives), Metro Bank has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Metro Bank. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Metro Bank Above-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE July 4, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with investment alternatives), Metro Bank (Regional Banks, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Metro Bank are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 44 (worse than 56% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 48) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 94), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 72, is a buy recommendation based on Metro Bank's financial characteristics. As the company Metro Bank's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 44) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 48), 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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