September 12, 2024
Top 10 Stock Rakuten Sell 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: Rakuten – Top 10 Stock in Nikkei 225 Index


corp.rakuten.co.jp


Rakuten is listed as a top 10 stock on September 12, 2024 in the market index Nikkei 225 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company is growing above average, but all other facts speak against a stock purchase, especially the low market sentiment by professional investors. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 8 (8% performer), Obermatt issues an overall sell recommendation for Rakuten on September 12, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Japan
Industry Internet Retail
Index Nikkei 225
Size class XX-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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 Rakuten Sell

360 METRICS September 12, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 8 (better than 8% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Rakuten are critical, mostly below average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Rakuten. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 93, 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. It ranks higher than 93% of competitors in the same industry. The other indicators are below average, namely the Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks.The Value Rank at 23 means that the share price of Rakuten is on the high side compared with its peers regarding revenues, profits, and invested capital. The stock price is higher than for 77% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 4, which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 96% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 9, indicating professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 91% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 8, Rakuten is worse than 92% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. This means that Rakuten shares are on the riskier side for investors. As only one of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibits excellent performance, namely the above-average growth (Growth Rank of 93), it is a riskier stock investment proposition. Aside from the critical professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 9), the company is rather risky when it comes to financing (Safety Rank of 4). The negative market view on Rakuten may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to join the party, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. While it is typical for growth companies to have low value, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that are expected to have high growth, the crucial question is: how much more do you pay for the stock of Rakuten compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one minus the growth 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 (even though it is lower than 50). As market sentiment is critical, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company's future growth potential. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Rakuten negative

SENTIMENT METRICS September 12, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 9 (better than 9% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Rakuten is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Rakuten. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 35 (worse than 65% 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 50, which means that stock research experts have found something to make them more positive about investing in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Rakuten. But the Professional Investors rank is low at 14, which means that professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 86% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. Market Pulse is also low at a rank of 7, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 93% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 9 (less encouraging than 91% compared with investment alternatives), Rakuten has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. These are quite a few negative sentiment signals. One may want to trust the analysts that are changing their opinions. They may be early indications of better times, especially if the company is a smaller one. But If they are an extra large company, they should have more professional stockholders than are currently present. ...read more



Value Strategy: Rakuten Stock Price Value low

VALUE METRICS September 12, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with alternatives), Rakuten 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 Rakuten. Price-to-Sales is 42 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 58% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Rakuten's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 40, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Rakuten. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 0 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 99% 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 23, is a sell recommendation based on Rakuten's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Rakuten? 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 Rakuten? 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. Rakuten 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: Rakuten Growth Momentum high

GROWTH METRICS September 12, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 93 (better than 93% compared with alternatives) for 2022, Rakuten 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 Rakuten. Sales Growth has a rank of 85 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 85% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 76, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 95, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 28, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 72% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 93, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Rakuten Debt Financing Safety risky

SAFETY METRICS September 12, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 4 (better than 4% compared with alternatives), the company Rakuten 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 Rakuten 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 Rakuten. Liquidity is at 6, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 94% 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 2, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 98% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 0 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 100% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 4 (worse than 96% compared with alternatives), Rakuten 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: Rakuten Lowest Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE September 12, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with investment alternatives), Rakuten (Internet Retail, Japan) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Rakuten are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 23 (worse than 77% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 4, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 93). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation based on Rakuten's financial characteristics. As the company Rakuten shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 23 (77% 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 93% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 93). 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 4 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 Rakuten, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more

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