November 21, 2024
Top 10 Stock SAP 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: SAP – Top 10 Stock in Deutscher Aktienindex DAX 40


sap.com


SAP is listed as a top 10 stock on November 21, 2024 in the market index DAX 40 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is growing above average and professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 49 (49% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for SAP on November 21, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Germany
Industry Application Software
Index CDAX, DAX 40, EURO STOXX 50, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU, Human Rights, Renewables Users, TecDAX
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 SAP Hold

360 METRICS November 21, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 49 (better than 49% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock SAP 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 SAP. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 81, 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 81% of competitors in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a good rank of 71, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 71% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 31, which means that the share price of SAP is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is higher than for 69% of alternative stocks in the same industry. Finally, the consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 34, which means that the company has a financing structure that is riskier than those of 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 49, SAP is worse than 51% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, so one needs to take a close look. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 81), and professional market sentiment is positive (Sentiment Rank of 71), but value and safety are below average. The Safety Rank is the least significant of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. In the case of high growth, aggressive financing is a good thing. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average growth and sentiment? Growth may be the strongest driver of the investment rationale in this case, which is reflected in institutional investors' opinions. 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 do you sacrifice value for growth? You can use the following rule of thumb: If you take 100 minus the growth rank, you arrive at a possibly minimum level for the value 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 if the growth rank is above 60. Sometimes market sentiment just extrapolates the past, but sometimes it reflects 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 SAP positive

SENTIMENT METRICS November 21, 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 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock SAP is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for SAP. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 43 (worse than 57% 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 79, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in SAP. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 61, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 61% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 51, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 51% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 71 (more positive than 71% compared with investment alternatives), SAP has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: SAP Stock Price Value below-average critical

VALUE METRICS November 21, 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 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), SAP shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for SAP. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 68% 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 19 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 81% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning SAP's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 21 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 79% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 34 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 66% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation based on SAP's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick SAP? 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 SAP only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more



Growth Strategy: SAP Growth Momentum high

GROWTH METRICS November 21, 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 81 (better than 81% compared with alternatives) for 2024, SAP 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 SAP. Sales Growth has a rank of 68 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 68% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 30% of competitors with a rank of 59, and Stock Returns with the rank of 91 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 30 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 70% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 81, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, SAP is a good growth stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: SAP Debt Financing Safety below-average

SAFETY METRICS November 21, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 34 (better than 34% compared with alternatives), the company SAP 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 SAP 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 SAP. Leverage is at a rank of 59, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 59% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 51, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 51% 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 23, 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 77% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 34 (worse than 66% compared with alternatives), SAP 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 SAP. 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: SAP Below-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE November 21, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 38 (worse than 62% compared with investment alternatives), SAP (Application Software, Germany) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SAP are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 31 (worse than 69% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 34, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 81). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 38, is a hold recommendation based on SAP's financial characteristics. As the company SAP shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 31 (69% 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 81% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 81). 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 34 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 SAP, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. ...read more

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