Fact based stock research
Micro Focus (LSE:MCRO)

GB00BJ1F4N75

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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.

(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.

Micro Focus stock research in summary

microfocus.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with investment alternatives), Micro Focus (Application Software, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Micro Focus are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 92 (better than 92% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 21), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 1), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 18, is a sell recommendation based on Micro Focus's financial characteristics. As the company Micro Focus's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 92) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 21) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 1), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 92% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. 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 Application Software
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Artificial Intelligence, Dividends Europe, Renewables Users
Size class Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

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




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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Micro Focus

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: 14-Mar-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Apr-2022. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Micro Focus is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with investment alternatives), Micro Focus (Application Software, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Micro Focus are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 92 (better than 92% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 21), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 1), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 18, is a sell recommendation based on Micro Focus's financial characteristics. As the company Micro Focus's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 92) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 21) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 1), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 92% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. 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: 16-Mar-2023. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Micro Focus the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Micro Focus shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Micro Focus. Price-to-Sales is 89 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 89% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Micro Focus's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 100% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 87. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Micro Focus are expected to be higher than for 89% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 89). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 92, is a buy recommendation based on Micro Focus's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Micro Focus based on its detailed value metrics. 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: 16-Mar-2023. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Micro Focus; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), Micro Focus 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 Micro Focus. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 17, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 83% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 21, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 22. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 78% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 55, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 55% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 21, 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 Micro Focus, 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
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Micro Focus.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 1 (better than 1% compared with alternatives), the company Micro Focus 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 Micro Focus 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 Micro Focus. Liquidity is at 12, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 88% 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 12, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 88% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 6 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 94% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with alternatives), Micro Focus 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 Micro Focus 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: 14-Mar-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Micro Focus 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: 2-Feb-2023. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Micro Focus.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Micro Focus from March 14, 2024.

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