January 30, 2025
Top 10 Stock Santos 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: Santos – Top 10 Stock in Australian Securities Exchange Index ASX 50
Santos is listed as a top 10 stock on January 30, 2025 in the market index ASX 50 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Only one consolidated Obermatt Rank is above-average. The company enjoys a positive professional investor sentiment, but all financial facts speak against a stock purchase. This is probably an investment into the future. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 29 (29% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Santos on January 30, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
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 Santos Hold
| 360 METRICS | January 30, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 24 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 35 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 34 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 88 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 29 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 29 (better than 29% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Santos are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Santos. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 88, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 88% of alternative investment opportunities. But all other ranks are below average. The consolidated Value Rank has a rank of 24, which means that the share price of Santos is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 35, meaning that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. This means that growth is lower than for 35% of competitors in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 34 which means that the company has a riskier financing structure than 66% 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 29, Santos is worse than 71% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only the professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 88) is above-average, and all other consolidated Obermatt Ranks are below peers, the stock investing proposition case is rather weak. The stock price is expensive for a company of this size in this industry, visible in the below-average Value Rank. Growth is below the competition based on the Growth Rank, and the company has more debt than other companies, according to the Safety Rank. So the question becomes: How important is the Sentiment Rank when all others are below average? When it comes to growth, the low rating might be justified if growth is expected in the future and not yet reflected in current performance. This is often the case for companies with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In the early phases, these companies are expensive compared with their size and may have a lot of debt on their books, as is the case here, as seen in the low Value and Safety Ranks. Future growth may be the strongest investment rationale in this case, which is only reflected by institutional investors' opinions. You pay more than the market average for this stock and invest in a rather debt-loaded enterprise, but it may be worth it if the future of Santoṣ is bright. A small investment might be justified, but proceed with caution. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Santos very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 88 (better than 88% compared with alternatives) for 2025, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Santos is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Santos. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 67 (better than 67% 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 50, 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 Santos. The Professional Investors rank is 58, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 58% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 89 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 89% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 88 (more positive than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Santos 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 Santos 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: Santos Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 24 (worse than 76% compared with alternatives), Santos shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Santos. Expected dividend yields are higher than for 63% of comparable companies (a Dividend Yield rank of 63), making the stock attractive. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) 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. But in respect to sales and profits, the picture is reversed. Price-to-Sales is 14 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 86% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Santos's sales levels. The Price-to-Profit ratio (also referred to as price-earnings (P/E) ratio) is also unfavorable for Santos with a rank of 29. This means that the stock price, compared with what market professionals expect for future profits, is higher than for 71% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Santos's profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 24, is a sell recommendation based on Santos's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The company seems confident that it can generate a reasonable return on invested capital, because it pays an above-average dividend while profits are below what you would expect for a company with this stock price. If you agree with this practice and believe that profits will return to higher levels, as the current dividend policy suggests, Santos may be an attractive investment. If this is not the case, you may want to be careful with this stock as it is also expensive compared with its expected revenue levels. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Santos Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), Santos 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 all four metrics below average for Santos. Sales Growth has a rank of 30, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 70% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 46, and Capital Growth with 48. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 47, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 53% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Santos Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | January 30, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 52 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 17 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 60 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 34 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 34 (better than 34% compared with alternatives), the company Santos has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Santos 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 two out of three indicators above average for Santos. Leverage is at a rank of 52, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 52% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 60, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 60% 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 17, 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 83% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 34 (worse than 66% compared with alternatives), Santos has a financing structure that is riskier 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 Santos. 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: Santos Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | January 30, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 24 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 35 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 60 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 10 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with investment alternatives), Santos (Oil & Gas Production, Australia) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Santos are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 24 (worse than 76% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 35), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 34), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation based on Santos's financial characteristics. As the company Santos's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 24), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 35), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 34), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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