Fact based stock research
PageGroup (LSE:PAGE)
GB0030232317
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.
PageGroup stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with investment alternatives), PageGroup (HR- & Employment Services, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of PageGroup are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 24 (worse than 76% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 1) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 80), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 14, is a sell recommendation based on PageGroup's financial characteristics. As the company PageGroup's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 24) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 1), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 80) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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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360° Viewnew| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | HR- & Employment Services |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU |
| Size class | Large |
This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.
18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.
It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.
Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: PageGroup
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 1 |
|
51 |
|
20 |
|
24 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
|
95 |
|
11 |
|
1 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 40 |
|
50 |
|
72 |
|
80 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
8 |
|
34 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
47 |
|
8 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with investment alternatives), PageGroup (HR- & Employment Services, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of PageGroup are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 24 (worse than 76% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 1) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 80), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 14, is a sell recommendation based on PageGroup's financial characteristics. As the company PageGroup's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 24) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 1), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 80) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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 | 1 |
|
51 |
|
20 |
|
24 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
|
95 |
|
11 |
|
1 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 40 |
|
50 |
|
72 |
|
80 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 1 |
|
74 |
|
6 |
|
14 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 24 (worse than 76% compared with alternatives), PageGroup shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for PageGroup. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 50, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning PageGroup's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 85, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 85% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 88% of alternatives (only 12% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 79% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 24, is a sell recommendation based on PageGroup's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 20 |
|
56 |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 9 |
|
69 |
|
26 |
|
21 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 7 |
|
25 |
|
13 |
|
12 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 42 |
|
86 |
|
88 |
|
85 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 1 |
|
51 |
|
20 |
|
24 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), PageGroup shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for PageGroup. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 1, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 99% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 20, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 13. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 87% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 51, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 51% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for PageGroup, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. 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 low here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 83 |
|
82 |
|
8 |
|
1 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 77 |
|
100 |
|
10 |
|
13 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
19 |
|
15 |
|
20 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 88 |
|
73 |
|
61 |
|
51 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 100 |
|
95 |
|
11 |
|
1 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company PageGroup has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of PageGroup 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, where all three are above average for PageGroup. Leverage is at 53, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 53% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 64, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 64% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 77, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 77% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with alternatives), PageGroup has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. Investors may not have a debt issue with PageGroup but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 44 |
|
57 |
|
53 |
|
53 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 48 |
|
55 |
|
61 |
|
64 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 85 |
|
37 |
|
84 |
|
77 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 40 |
|
50 |
|
72 |
|
80 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
21 |
|
30 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
9 |
|
50 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
80 |
|
72 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
22 |
|
29 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
8 |
|
34 |
|
new |
|
Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for PageGroup from April 18, 2024.
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