Fact based stock research
Marks and Spencer (LSE:MKS)

GB0031274896

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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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Marks and Spencer stock research in summary

corporate.marksandspencer.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with investment alternatives), Marks and Spencer (Food Retail, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Marks and Spencer are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 67 (better than 67% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 86) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 20), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 68, is a buy recommendation based on Marks and Spencer's financial characteristics. As the company Marks and Spencer's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 67) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 86), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 20) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. 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 Food Retail
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU, Human Rights, Renewables Users
Size class XX-Large

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: Marks and Spencer

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-Sep-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Marks and Spencer is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with investment alternatives), Marks and Spencer (Food Retail, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Marks and Spencer are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 67 (better than 67% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 86) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 20), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 68, is a buy recommendation based on Marks and Spencer's financial characteristics. As the company Marks and Spencer's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 67) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 86), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 20) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. 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: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Marks and Spencer the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), Marks and Spencer 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 Marks and Spencer. 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 regarding Marks and Spencer's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 80% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 53. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 47% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than Marks and Spencer (a Dividend Yield Rank of 47). 53% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation based on Marks and Spencer's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. 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 Marks and Spencer; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 86 (better than 86% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Marks and Spencer 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 Marks and Spencer. Profit Growth has a rank of 79 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 79% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 63, and Stock Returns has a rank of 97 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 97% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 31 (69% of its competitors are better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 86, 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 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 Marks and Spencer.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 20 (better than 20% compared with alternatives), the company Marks and Spencer has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Marks and Spencer 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 all three metrics below average for Marks and Spencer. Liquidity is at 39, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 61% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 38, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 62% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 27 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 73% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with alternatives), Marks and Spencer has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Marks and Spencer because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...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: 21-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Marks and Spencer 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 Marks and Spencer.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Marks and Spencer from March 21, 2024.

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