August 15, 2024
Top 10 Stock Moody's 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: Moody's – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Investment Services Index
Moody's is listed as a top 10 stock on August 15, 2024 in the market index D.J. US Investing 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 28 (28% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Moody's on August 15, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Financial Exchanges & Data |
| Index | Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, Renewables Users, D.J. US Investing, S&P 500 |
| 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 Moody's Hold
| 360 METRICS | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 71 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 8 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 84 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 28 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 28 (better than 28% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Moody's are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Moody's. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 71, 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 71% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 84, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 84% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 1, which means that the share price of Moody's 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 99% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 8, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 92% 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 28, Moody's is worse than 72% 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 71), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 84), 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 Moody's very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 84 (better than 84% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Moody's is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Moody's. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 68 (better than 68% 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 95, 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 Moody's. The Professional Investors rank is 52, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 52% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 55 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 55% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 84 (more positive than 84% compared with investment alternatives), Moody's 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 Moody's 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: Moody's Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), Moody's shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Moody's. Price-to-Sales is 3 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 97% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Moody's's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 1, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Moody's. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 3 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 82% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on Moody's's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Moody's? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Moody's? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Moody's may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Moody's Growth Momentum good
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), Moody's 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 four indicators above average for Moody's. Sales Growth has a value of 64, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 64% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 55 and for Capital Growth with 51. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 71, which means they have been higher than 71% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Moody's exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Moody's Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 23 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 11 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 59 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 8 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 8 (better than 8% compared with alternatives), the company Moody's 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 Moody's 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 Moody's. Liquidity is at 59, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 59% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 11, 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 89% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 23, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 8 (worse than 92% compared with alternatives), Moody's has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Moody's Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | August 15, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 71 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 59 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 4 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 4 (worse than 96% compared with investment alternatives), Moody's (Financial Exchanges & Data, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Moody's are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 1 (worse than 99% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 8, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 71). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 4, is a sell recommendation based on Moody's's financial characteristics. As the company Moody's shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 1 (99% 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 71% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 71). 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 8 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 Moody's, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more
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