Fact based stock research
NorthWestern (NYSE:NWE)

US6680743050

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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.

NorthWestern stock research in summary

northwesternenergy.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with investment alternatives), NorthWestern (Multi-Utilities, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of NorthWestern are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 83 (better than 83% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 52, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 58, is a buy recommendation based on NorthWestern's financial characteristics. As the company NorthWestern's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 83) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 52), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 83% of comparable companies, may also indicate that 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 and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. 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	83
Growth Rank	25
Safety Rank	52
Combined Rank	58

Country	USA
Industry	Multi-Utilities
Index	Dividends USA, Human Rights, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	Large

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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

Research History: NorthWestern

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	44	83	72	83
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	23	85	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	5	48	56	52
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	53	14	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	45	70	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better NorthWestern is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	44	83	72	83
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	23	85	25
SAFETY
SAFETY	5	48	56	52
COMBINED
COMBINED	11	50	94	58

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of NorthWestern the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 83 (better than 83% compared with alternatives) for 2024, NorthWestern shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for NorthWestern. Price-to-Sales is 60 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 60% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for NorthWestern's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 70% 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 95. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of NorthWestern are expected to be higher than for 87% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 87). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 83, is a buy recommendation based on NorthWestern'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 NorthWestern 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)	28	50	45	60
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	33	70	57	70
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	49	91	95	95
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	61	87	80	87
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	44	83	72	83

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of NorthWestern; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), NorthWestern 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 NorthWestern. Sales Growth has a rank of 52, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 52% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 58 is also above average. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 27, and Stock Returns with 21 are also below-average. Stock returns for NorthWestern have recently been below 79% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, 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 NorthWestern. 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	38	47	94	52
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	22	79	38	58
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	23	81	27
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	55	13	55	21
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	33	23	85	25

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of NorthWestern.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with alternatives), the company NorthWestern 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 NorthWestern 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 just one indicator above average for NorthWestern and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 92 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 92% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 12, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 88% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 48, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 52% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with alternatives), NorthWestern has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is an indication that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. There is only below-market average liquidity, and a short-term refinancing issue might be around the corner. But in the long-term, the debt levels of NorthWestern are on the safer side. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge and liquidity issues with NorthWestern and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	25	66	90	92
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	29	70	34	12
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	13	26	38	48
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	5	48	56	52

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of NorthWestern 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	51	31	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	34	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	57	52	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	52	3	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	53	14	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for NorthWestern.
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