Fact based stock research
UMC (TSEC:2303)

TW0002303005

How to read the free 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.

UMC stock research in summary

umc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with investment alternatives), UMC (Semiconductors, Taiwan) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of UMC are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 85 (better than 85% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 54, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 9). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 46, is a hold recommendation based on UMC's financial characteristics. As the company UMC's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 85) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 9) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 54), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 85% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	85
Growth Rank	9
Safety Rank	54
Combined Rank	46

Country	Taiwan
Industry	Semiconductors
Index	Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Low Waste, Recycling, Water Efficiency, FTSE Taiwan
Size class	X-Large

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: UMC

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	89	47	81	85
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	71	19	9
SAFETY
SAFETY	80	25	51	54
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	8	26	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	21	31	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better UMC is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	89	47	81	85
GROWTH
GROWTH	64	71	19	9
SAFETY
SAFETY	80	25	51	54
COMBINED
COMBINED	93	47	47	46

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of UMC the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2024, UMC shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for UMC. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 89 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 89% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning UMC'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 59, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 92. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 60% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 40). 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 85, is a buy recommendation based on UMC'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 UMC 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 UMC shares. 9. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	55	27	47	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	88	57	92	89
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	63	52	62	59
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	94	78	97	92
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	89	47	81	85

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of UMC; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 9 (better than 9% compared with alternatives), UMC shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for UMC. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 34, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 9, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 12. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 88% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 61, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 61% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 9, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for UMC, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	26	68	36	34
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	33	61	51	12
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	31	13	9
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	88	71	43	61
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	64	71	19	9

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of UMC.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), the company UMC 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 UMC 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 UMC. Leverage is at a rank of 50, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 50% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 66, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 66% 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 35, 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 65% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), UMC 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 UMC. 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. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with UMC and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	82	38	56	50
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	14	45	51	35
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	100	25	51	66
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	80	25	51	54

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of UMC and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	47	51	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	16	52	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	34	39	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	35	34	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	8	26	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for UMC.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.