Fact based stock research
West Japan Railway (TSE:9021)

JP3659000008

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.

West Japan Railway stock research in summary

westjr.co.jp

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 32 (worse than 68% compared with investment alternatives), West Japan Railway (Railroads, Japan) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of West Japan Railway are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 29, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 32, is a hold recommendation based on West Japan Railway's financial characteristics. As the company West Japan Railway shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (65% 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 65% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 65). 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 29 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 West Japan Railway, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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	35
Growth Rank	65
Safety Rank	29
Combined Rank	32

Country	Japan
Industry	Railroads
Index	TOPIX 100, Nikkei 225
Size class	X-Large

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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

Research History: West Japan Railway

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	59	60	53	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	57	37	46	65
SAFETY
SAFETY	41	35	25	29
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	55	43	50	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	53	30	34	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better West Japan Railway is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	59	60	53	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	57	37	46	65
SAFETY
SAFETY	41	35	25	29
COMBINED
COMBINED	60	34	26	32

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of West Japan Railway the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with alternatives), West Japan Railway shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where the majority of metrics are below, and only one is above average for West Japan Railway. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 57, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than 57% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning to West Japan Railway's revenue size. But all other performance indicators point in a different direction. Dividend yields have a Dividend Yield rank of 43, meaning that dividends are expected to be lower than for 57% of comparable investments. Furthermore, Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than 69% of alternatives (only 31% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E), which is higher than for 51% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation based on West Japan Railway's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since Price-to-Sales is a stable value indicator even in challenging times, investing in West Japan Railway could be seen as a value investment. However, there must be a good reason for the low market-to-book rank. If the company has a typical capital investment practice, the stock may be overvalued because the profit and dividend-related performance indicators are also low. The stock is only good value if investors can expect profits and dividends to pick up in the future. Else, West Japan Railway looks like an expensive investment today. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	68	67	64	57
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	19	63	55	49
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	66	51	42	31
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	52	47	52	43
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	59	60	53	35

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of West Japan Railway; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), West Japan Railway 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 all but one indicator above average for West Japan Railway. Profit Growth has a rank of 68 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 68% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 50, and Stock Returns has a rank of 61 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 61% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 25 (75% of its competitors are better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. 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. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	84	56	70	25
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	45	39	36	68
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	33	53	63	50
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	33	43	37	61
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	57	37	46	65

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of West Japan Railway.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 29 (better than 29% compared with alternatives), the company West Japan Railway 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 West Japan Railway 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 just one indicator above average for West Japan Railway. Liquidity is at 50, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 50% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 31, 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 69% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 26, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 74% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 29 (worse than 71% compared with alternatives), West Japan Railway has a financing structure that is riskier 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. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	32	28	31	26
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	81	47	29	31
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	6	30	48	50
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	41	35	25	29

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of West Japan Railway and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	73	64	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	89	64	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	86	40	59	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	5	5	34	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	55	43	50	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for West Japan Railway.
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