April 17, 2025
Top 10 Stock SpareBank 1 Buy 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: SpareBank 1 – Top 10 Stock in SDG 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions
SpareBank 1 is listed as a top 10 stock on April 17, 2025 in the market index SDG 16 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the 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 51 (high 51% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for SpareBank 1 on April 17, 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 SpareBank 1 Buy
| 360 METRICS | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 18 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 34 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 59 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 87 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 51 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 51 (better than 51% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock SpareBank 1 are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for SpareBank 1. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 87, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 87% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 59 or better than 59% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 18, meaning that the share price of SpareBank 1 is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 34. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 51, SpareBank 1 is better positioned than 51% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 87) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 59), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of SpareBank 1̣ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for SpareBank 1 very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2025, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock SpareBank 1 is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for SpareBank 1. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 49 (worse than 51% 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 71, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in SpareBank 1. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 72, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 72% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 86, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 86% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 87 (more positive than 87% compared with investment alternatives), SpareBank 1 has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than 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: SpareBank 1 Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with alternatives), SpareBank 1 shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for SpareBank 1. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 58% 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 40 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 60% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning SpareBank 1's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 28 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 72% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 22 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 78% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 18, is a sell recommendation based on SpareBank 1's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick SpareBank 1? 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 SpareBank 1 only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: SpareBank 1 Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 34 (better than 34% compared with alternatives), SpareBank 1 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for SpareBank 1. Profit Growth has a rank of 91, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 91% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 66 (above 66% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 20, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 80% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 16. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 34, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for SpareBank 1. ...read more
Safety Strategy: SpareBank 1 Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 29 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 46 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 84 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 59 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), the company SpareBank 1 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 SpareBank 1 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 just one indicator above average for SpareBank 1. Liquidity is at 84, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 84% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 46, 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 54% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 29, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 71% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), SpareBank 1 has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: SpareBank 1 Lowest Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 18 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 34 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 84 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 20 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with investment alternatives), SpareBank 1 (Regional Banks, Norway) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SpareBank 1 are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 18 (worse than 82% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 34) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 59), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on SpareBank 1's financial characteristics. As the company SpareBank 1's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 18) and low growth (Obermatt Growth 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 59) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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