January 25, 2024
Top 10 Stock Lancashire Strong Buy Recommendation



How to read the 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.

Snapshot: Lancashire – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 350 Index


lancashiregroup.com


Lancashire is listed as a top 10 stock on January 25, 2024 in the market index FTSE 350 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 100 (top 100% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Lancashire on January 25, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country United Kingdom
Industry Property & Casualty Insurance
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350
Size class Medium
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° View Lancashire Strong Buy

360 METRICS January 25, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Lancashire are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for Lancashire. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 73, which means that the share price of Lancashire is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 73% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 95, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 70. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 95. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 100, Lancashire is better positioned than 100% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 73), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 95), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 70), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 95), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Lancashire is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Lancashire very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS January 25, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Lancashire is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Lancashire. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 42 (worse than 58% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 58, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Lancashire. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 100, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 100% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 100, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 100% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 95 (more positive than 95% compared with investment alternatives), Lancashire has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Lancashire Stock Price Value better than average

VALUE METRICS January 25, 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

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), Lancashire shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Lancashire. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price to earnings, P/E ratio) is 83 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 83% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Lancashire'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 51, and for Dividend Yield with a Dividend Yield Rank of 98. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the stock price is higher than average as regards expected revenues; only 61% of all competitors have an even higher stock price as regards to sales revenues (a Price-to-Sales Rank of 39). 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 73, is a buy recommendation based on Lancashire'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 Lancashire 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 Lancashire shares. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Lancashire Growth Momentum high

GROWTH METRICS January 25, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 95 (better than 95% compared with alternatives) for 2022, Lancashire shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Lancashire. Sales Growth has a value of 76 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 76% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a value of 100 and Capital Growth with a rank of 81 means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow both profits and invested capital more than of its competitors. But Stock Returns has only a rank of 45, which means that stock returns have recently been below 55% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 95, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Lancashire has only one below-average growth indicator, the stock returns. This is probably the least reliable growth indicator, because it measures company and investor expectations at the same time. The three other growth indicators, which are all positive for Lancashire, are more reliable measures of growth momentum. For this reason, the company seems to be on a good trajectory, unless you think the current period is not representative, because of unique events that will not be repeated in the future. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Lancashire Debt Financing Safety above-average

SAFETY METRICS January 25, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), the company Lancashire 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 Lancashire 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 just one indicator above average for Lancashire and the other two below average. Leverage is at a rank of 64 meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 38, which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 62% of its competitors. Liquidity is at a rank of 44, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 56% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), Lancashire has a financing structure that is safer 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 Lancashire are on the safer side. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Lancashire Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE January 25, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Lancashire (Property & Casualty Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Lancashire are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 95), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 70), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 94, is a strong buy recommendation based on Lancashire's financial characteristics. As the company Lancashire's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 73), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 95), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 70), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Lancashire. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more

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