Long-established in the Banks industry, KeyCorp (KEY, Financial) has enjoyed a stellar reputation. It has recently witnessed a surge of 2.67%, juxtaposed with a three-month change of 19.92%. However, fresh insights from the GuruFocus Score Rating hint at potential headwinds. Notably, its diminished rankings in financial strength, growth, and valuation suggest that the company might not live up to its historical performance. Join us as we dive deep into these pivotal metrics to unravel the evolving narrative of KeyCorp.
Understanding the GF Score
The GF Score is a stock performance ranking system developed by GuruFocus using five aspects of valuation, which has been found to be closely correlated to the long-term performances of stocks by backtesting from 2006 to 2021. The stocks with a higher GF Score generally generate higher returns than those with a lower GF Score. Therefore, when picking stocks, investors should invest in companies with high GF Scores. The GF Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 as the highest rank.
- Financial strength rank: 3/10
- Profitability rank: 5/10
- Growth rank: 4/10
- GF Value rank: 8/10
- Momentum rank: 2/10
Based on the above method, GuruFocus assigned KeyCorp the GF Score of 63 out of 100, which signals poor future outperformance potential.
KeyCorp's Business Overview
With a market cap of $10.98 billion and sales of $6.87 billion, KeyCorp is a significant player in the banking industry. The Ohio-based company, with assets of over $170 billion, spans 16 states, predominantly concentrated in its two largest markets: Ohio and New York. KeyCorp primarily focuses on serving middle-market commercial clients through a hybrid community/corporate bank model.
Financial Strength Analysis
KeyCorp's financial strength indicators present some concerning insights about the company's balance sheet health. The company's low cash-to-debt ratio at 0.03 indicates a struggle in handling existing debt levels. The company's debt-to-equity ratio is 2.1, which is worse than 84.8% of 1329 companies in the Banks industry. A high debt-to-equity ratio suggests over-reliance on borrowing and vulnerability to market fluctuations. Additionally, the company's debt-to-Ebitda ratio is 4.23, which is above Joel Tillinghast's warning level of 4 and is worse than 75.95% of 1310 companies in the Banks industry. Tillinghast said in his book “Big Money Think's Small: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing” that a high debt-to-Ebitda ratio can be a red flag unless tangible assets cover the debt.
Profitability Analysis
KeyCorp's low Profitability rank can also raise warning signals. KeyCorp's Net Margin has declined over the past five years (-9.97%), as shown by the following data: 2018: 30.31; 2019: 27.78; 2020: 20.69; 2021: 37.30; 2022: 27.28.
Growth Prospects
A lack of significant growth is another area where KeyCorp seems to falter, as evidenced by the company's low Growth rank.
Conclusion
Given KeyCorp's financial strength, profitability, and growth metrics, the GuruFocus Score Rating highlights the firm's unparalleled position for potential underperformance. While the company has a strong reputation and a significant market presence, its financial health and growth prospects raise concerns about its ability to maintain its historical performance. Therefore, investors should exercise caution and conduct thorough research before making investment decisions.
GuruFocus Premium members can find more companies with strong GF Scores using the following screener link: GF Score Screen
