Fact based stock research
Direct Line Insurance (LSE:DLG)

GB00BY9D0Y18

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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.

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Direct Line Insurance stock research in summary

directlinegroup.co.uk


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), Direct Line Insurance (Property & Casualty Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Direct Line Insurance are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 31, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 72). ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on Direct Line Insurance's financial characteristics. As the company Direct Line Insurance shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (55% 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 72% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 72). 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 31 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 Direct Line Insurance, 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


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Country United Kingdom
Industry Property & Casualty Insurance
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe
Size class X-Large

This stock has achievements: Gold Winner CEO.

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




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Research History: Direct Line Insurance

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

Most recent update of the stock research: 21-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Direct Line Insurance is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), Direct Line Insurance (Property & Casualty Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Direct Line Insurance are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 31, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 72). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on Direct Line Insurance's financial characteristics. As the company Direct Line Insurance shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (55% 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 72% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 72). 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 31 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 Direct Line Insurance, 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

RESEARCH HISTORY 2021 2022 2023 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Direct Line Insurance the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Direct Line Insurance shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where three out of four indicators are above average for Direct Line Insurance. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 55 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 55% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Direct Line Insurance's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 53. Finally, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Direct Line Insurance are expected to be higher than for 65% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 65). The only low rank is for expected profits with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 19, indicating that the market expects the company's profit to be low despite a high dividend. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 45, is a hold recommendation based on Direct Line Insurance's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The low Profit Rank could result from a one-off charge, for instance, for an accident, a legal settlement, or a restructuring project. If the company keeps its dividends high, the low expected profit may be transitory. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Capital, and Dividends are reliable indicators for good stock price value, a low stock price. 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)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

Last update of Value Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Direct Line Insurance; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with alternatives), Direct Line Insurance 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for Direct Line Insurance. Profit Growth has a rank of 100, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 100% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 85 (above 85% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 38, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 62% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 17. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 72, is a buy 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 Direct Line Insurance. 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 mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS 2021 2022 2023 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

Last update of Growth Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Direct Line Insurance.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), the company Direct Line Insurance 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 Direct Line Insurance 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 Direct Line Insurance and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 79 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 79% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 8, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 92% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 1, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 99% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), Direct Line Insurance has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This is an indication that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. There is only below-market average liquidity, and a short-term refinancing issue might be around the corner. But in the long-term, the debt levels of Direct Line Insurance are on the safer side. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge and liquidity issues with Direct Line Insurance 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
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Direct Line Insurance and the more cash is available to service its debt.


Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT 2021 2022 2023 2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Direct Line Insurance.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Direct Line Insurance from March 21, 2024.

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