December 21, 2023
Top 10 Stock South32 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: South32 – Top 10 Stock in Silver Mining and Production


south32.net


South32 is listed as a top 10 stock on December 21, 2023 in the market index Silver because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, it is a solid investment from a financial fact perspective where only investor sentiment is a reason for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 39 (39% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for South32 on December 21, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country Australia
Industry Diversified Metals & Mining
Index ASX 100, ASX 200, ASX 300, ASX 50, Zinc, Silver, Water Efficiency
Size class X-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 South32 Hold

360 METRICS December 21, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock South32 are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for South32. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 60, which means that the share price of South32 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 60% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 51, 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. The company is also safely financed with a Safety Rank of 56. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of only 40. Professional investors are more confident in 60% other stocks. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 39, South32 is worse than 61% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As three out of four consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 60), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 51), and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 56), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited, and disappointments are less likely, unless information not publicly available. Only the professional market sentiment is on the riskier side (Sentiment Rank of 40), but that could also mean an overreaction to negative news in the past. Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. If they have been enjoying above average growth and are still a good value, this may not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of South32 is as challenging as the low price of the stock despite good growth and safe financing practices suggest. Since the professional community is pessimistic, you may want to reflect these negative opinions in light of what you find reasonable to expect for the future. If you believe this pessimistic view is transitory, you have a solid investment case based on current financial factors. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for South32 only reserved

SENTIMENT METRICS December 21, 2023
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 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock South32 is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for South32. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 86 (better than 86% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 67, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 67% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change is negative with a below 50 rank of 20, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse in recommending the company. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in South32. There are also only so many institutional investors holding company stock with a Professional Investors rank of 21, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 79% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 40 (less encouraging than 60% compared with investment alternatives), South32 has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. The signals are ambivalent. The positive news in the market contradicts the negative change in analyst recommendations. Since the overall analyst recommendations are still above average, the stock may be safer for investing, especially if it is not an extra-large company where Pros tend to be less present. In such a case, the Pro Investor rank is not a problem. ...read more



Value Strategy: South32 Stock Price Value better than average

VALUE METRICS December 21, 2023
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 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), South32 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 above average for South32. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 54 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 54% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning South32's profit levels. The same is valid for the expected Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 58, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 73. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 51% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 49). Profits, the level of invested capital, and dividend policy suggest that this stock is attractively priced. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 60, is a buy recommendation based on South32's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since it is on the expensive side for Price-to-Sales, it may mean that South32 has pricing power in its distribution market because it can charge higher prices than its competitors. If this is the case, all four value indicators are positive signals for purchasing South32 shares. ...read more



Growth Strategy: South32 Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS December 21, 2023
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 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), South32 shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for South32. Sales Growth has a rank of 73 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 73% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 34% of competitors with a rank of 71. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 34, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 66% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 15. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. ...read more



Safety Strategy: South32 Debt Financing Safety above-average

SAFETY METRICS December 21, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), the company South32 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 South32 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 two out of three indicators above average for South32. Leverage is at a rank of 54, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 54% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 50, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 50% 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 49, 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 51% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), South32 has a financing structure that is safer 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 South32. 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: South32 Above-Average Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE December 21, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with investment alternatives), South32 (Diversified Metals & Mining, Australia) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of South32 are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 60 (better than 60% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 51), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 56), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 54, is a buy recommendation based on South32's financial characteristics. As the company South32's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 60), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 51), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 56), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of South32. 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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