October 3, 2024
Top 10 Stock NiSource 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: NiSource – Top 10 Stock in S&P 500 Index
NiSource is listed as a top 10 stock on October 03, 2024 in the market index S&P 500 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Three consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. Only the Value Rank is below average. The investment rationale may be an investment in future growth, supported by professional market opinion. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 83 (top 83% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for NiSource on October 03, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Multi-Utilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, 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 NiSource Strong Buy
| 360 METRICS | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 23 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 55 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 79 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 83 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock NiSource are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all but one indicator above average for NiSource. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 100, 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 100% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank at 55 means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 55% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. Finally, the consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 79, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 79% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank is less desirable at 23, meaning that the share price of NiSource is on the higher side compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 77% of alternative stocks in the same industry. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 83, NiSource is better positioned than 83% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as above-average growth (Growth Rank of 100), a safe financing structure (Safety Rank of 55), and positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 79), it is a solid stock investment where growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale, also reflected by institutional investors. 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 more do you pay for the stock of NiSource compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The growth rank measures the growth momentum of the company (100% better than peers). The value rank could be the reverse reflection of that (0%). A Value Rank below that level may be assessed as expensive, a rank above that is still good value. Sometimes market sentiment just reflects the past, sometimes the 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 NiSource very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock NiSource is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for NiSource. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 96 (better than 96% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 59, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in NiSource. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 67, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 67% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 79 (more positive than 79% compared with investment alternatives), NiSource has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 26, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 74% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for NiSource is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: NiSource Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with alternatives), NiSource shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators where three out of four are below average for NiSource. Only the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) indicates good stock value with a Price-to-Book Rank of 52, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 52% of comparable investments. All other value indicators are below the market median. Price-to-Sales is 38 which means the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 62% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning NiSource's revenue levels. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 52 and for the dividend yields rank which is lower than for 79% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation based on NiSource's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Why are market participants paying such a high price for NiSource, where three out of four value indicators are below par? One reason could be that the company is well financed, indicated by the high book capital level, and has a promising future that is not yet visible in reported revenues and profits. That would also explain the low dividend yield because the company needs the cash to invest in its future. If investors can verify a picture in this sense, the stock may still be a good investment, even though current company-reported financials don't fully explain current stock prices. ...read more
Growth Strategy: NiSource Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, NiSource shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for NiSource. Sales Growth has a value of 94, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 94% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 82 and for Capital Growth with 71. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 95, which means they have been higher than 95% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, NiSource 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: NiSource Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 58 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 41 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 55 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 55 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), the company NiSource has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of NiSource 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 NiSource. Leverage is at a rank of 58, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 58% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 55, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 55% 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 41, 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 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with alternatives), NiSource has a financing structure that is 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 NiSource. 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: NiSource Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 3, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 23 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 55 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 75 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with investment alternatives), NiSource (Multi-Utilities, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of NiSource are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 23 (worse than 77% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 100) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 55, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 75, is a strong buy recommendation based on NiSource's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company NiSource exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 23), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 100). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 55) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more
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