September 5, 2024
Top 10 Stock Pennon 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: Pennon – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 350 Index
Pennon is listed as a top 10 stock on September 05, 2024 in the market index FTSE 350 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is below average and thus a signal for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 25 (25% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Pennon on September 05, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Water Utilities |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Customer Focus EU, Employee Focus EU, Diversity Europe, Low Waste, Recycling, Water Tech |
| Size class | 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 Pennon Hold
| 360 METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 53 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 95 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 3 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 9 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 25 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Pennon 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 Pennon. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 53, which means that the share price of Pennon is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 53% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 95, 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. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 9. Professional investors are more confident in 91% other stocks. Worryingly, the company has risky financing, with a Safety rank of 3. This means 97% of comparable companies have a safer financing structure than Pennon. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 25, Pennon is worse than 75% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Even though half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, namely the Value Rank at 53 and the Growth Rank above-average at 95, the picture is still mixed. The professional investor community is skeptical, with the Sentiment Rank below-average at 9. In addition, the company financing structure is on the riskier side (Safety Rank of 3). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. One may be tempted by above-average growth, but that could also change quickly, as past performance is not a good indicator of future performance. Since the financing structure is on the risky side, investors should be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Pennon negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 9 (better than 9% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Pennon is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Pennon. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 24 (worse than 76% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. Worse, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 34 which means that stock research experts are getting even more pessimistic. It doesn't end with the analysts. Market Pulse is also low with a rank of 20, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 80% of competitors). No wonder, the Professional Investors rank is only 33, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 67% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to stay away from Pennon, which may be due to a small company size but just as likely because of its relatively low Sentiment Rank. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 9 (less encouraging than 91% compared with investment alternatives), Pennon has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. Investors should be careful with this stock right now. Further research is required if an investment is desired, because the facts found in the professional community are all negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: Pennon Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 53 (better than 53% compared with alternatives), Pennon 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 below average for Pennon. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 95% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 49 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 51% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Pennon's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 15 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 85% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 41 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 59% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 53, is a buy recommendation based on Pennon's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Pennon? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Pennon only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Pennon Growth Momentum high
| GROWTH METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 78 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 92 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 88 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 47 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 95 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Pennon 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 but one indicator above average for Pennon. Sales Growth has a value of 78 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 78% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 92 and Capital Growth with a rank of 88 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 47, which means that stock returns have recently been below 53% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 95, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Pennon has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for Pennon, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Pennon Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 6 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 47 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 15 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 3 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 3 (better than 3% compared with alternatives), the company Pennon 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 Pennon 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 all three metrics below average for Pennon. Liquidity is at 15, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 85% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 6, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 94% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 47 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 53% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 3 (worse than 97% compared with alternatives), Pennon has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing.
Combined financial peformance: Pennon Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 53 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 95 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 15 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 51 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with investment alternatives), Pennon (Water Utilities, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Pennon are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 53 (better than 53% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 95) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 3), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on Pennon's financial characteristics. As the company Pennon's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 53) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 95), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 3) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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