September 12, 2024
Top 10 Stock M&G 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: M&G – Top 10 Stock in Employee Health Leaders in Europe
M&G is listed as a top 10 stock on September 12, 2024 in the market index Employee Health EU because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 43 (43% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for M&G on September 12, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Other Financial Services |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU, Employee Health EU, Diversity Europe |
| Size class | X-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 M&G Hold
| 360 METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 71 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 20 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 45 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 59 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 43 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock M&G are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for M&G. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 71, which means that the share price of M&G is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 71% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 59, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 59% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 20, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 45, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 55 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 43, M&G is worse than 57% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 71) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 59), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 20) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 45). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of M&G is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for M&G positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock M&G is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for M&G. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 26 (worse than 74% 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 69, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in M&G. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 50, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 50% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 67, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 67% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 59 (more positive than 59% compared with investment alternatives), M&G has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: M&G Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), M&G 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 M&G. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 70 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 70% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning M&G'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 60, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 96. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 75% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 25). 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 71, is a buy recommendation based on M&G'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 M&G 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 M&G shares. ...read more
Growth Strategy: M&G Growth Momentum negative
| GROWTH METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 14 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 76 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 20 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 43 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 20 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 20 (better than 20% compared with alternatives), M&G 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 M&G. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 76, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 76% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 14, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 86% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 20 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 43 (57% of alternative investments were better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 20, 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. ...read more
Safety Strategy: M&G Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 19 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 99 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 21 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 45 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 45 (better than 45% compared with alternatives), the company M&G 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 M&G 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 just one indicator above average for M&G and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 99, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 99% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 19, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 81% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 21, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 79% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), M&G has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for M&G are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: M&G Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 12, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 71 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 20 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 21 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 34 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 34 (worse than 66% compared with investment alternatives), M&G (Other Financial Services, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of M&G 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 20), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 45), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 34, is a hold recommendation based on M&G's financial characteristics. As the company M&G's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 20) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 45), 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. ...read more
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