Long-established in the Utilities - Regulated industry, Dominion Energy Inc (D, Financial) has enjoyed a stellar reputation. However, it has recently witnessed a decline of 2.82%, juxtaposed with a three-month change of -5.85%. 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 Dominion Energy Inc.
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.
- 1. Financial strength rank: 3/10
- 2. Profitability rank: 7/10
- 3. Growth rank: 4/10
- 4. GF Value rank: 4/10
- 5. Momentum rank: 2/10
Based on the above method, GuruFocus assigned Dominion Energy Inc the GF Score of 64 out of 100, which signals poor future outperformance potential.
Snapshot of Dominion Energy Inc's Business
Based in Richmond, Virginia, Dominion Energy Inc is an integrated energy company with over 30 gigawatts of electric generation capacity and more than 90,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. The company, which has a market cap of $38.94 billion and sales of $18.35 billion, is constructing a rate-regulated 5.2 GW wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast. With an operating margin of 25.67%, Dominion Energy Inc's business operations and history present a mixed picture.
Financial Strength Breakdown
Dominion Energy Inc's financial strength indicators present some concerning insights about the company's balance sheet health. The company's interest coverage ratio of 2.67 positions it worse than 65.73% of 426 companies in the Utilities - Regulated industry. This ratio highlights potential challenges the company might face when handling its interest expenses on outstanding debt. It's worth noting that the esteemed investor Benjamin Graham typically favored companies with an interest coverage ratio of at least five.
The company's Altman Z-Score is just 0.61, which is below the distress zone of 1.81. This suggests that the company may face financial distress over the next few years. Additionally, the company's low cash-to-debt ratio at 0 indicates a struggle in handling existing debt levels. Furthermore, the company's debt-to-Ebitda ratio is 5.85, which is above Joel Tillinghast's warning level of 4 and is worse than 70.87% of 436 companies in the Utilities - Regulated 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.
Growth Prospects
A lack of significant growth is another area where Dominion Energy Inc seems to falter, as evidenced by the company's low Growth rank. Lastly, Dominion Energy Inc's predictability rank is just one star out of five, adding to investor uncertainty regarding revenue and earnings consistency.
Conclusion
Given the company's financial strength, profitability, and growth metrics, the GuruFocus Score Rating highlights the firm's unparalleled position for potential underperformance. While Dominion Energy Inc has a rich history and a significant presence in the Utilities - Regulated industry, its current financial health and growth prospects paint a less than rosy picture. Investors should tread carefully and consider these factors when making investment decisions.
GuruFocus Premium members can find more companies with strong GF Scores using the following screener link: GF Score Screen
