November 23, 2023
Top 10 Stock Smiths News 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: Smiths News – Top 10 Stock in Employee Satisfaction Leaders in Europe
Smiths News is listed as a top 10 stock on November 23, 2023 in the market index Employee Focus EU because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 50 (high 50% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Smiths News on November 23, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Distributors |
| Index | Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU, Sound Pay Europe |
| Size class | Large |
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 Smiths News Buy
| 360 METRICS | November 23, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 100 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 25 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 16 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 56 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 50 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 50 (better than 50% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Smiths News are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Smiths News. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 100, which means that the share price of Smiths News is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 100% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 56, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 56% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 25, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 16, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 84 comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 50, Smiths News is better positioned than 50% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 100) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 56), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 25) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 16). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of Smiths News is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Smiths News positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Smiths News is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Smiths News. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 72 (better than 72% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. In addition, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better in recommending investing in the company. In other words, they are getting even more optimistic about investments in Smiths News. Finally, the Professional Investors rank is 50, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 50% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 56 (more positive than 56% compared with investment alternatives), Smiths News has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But there is also a signal for caution. Market Pulse has a rank of 33, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 67% of competitors). This could mean future risks and should make investors careful. Attention to negative news for Smiths News is worthwhile because they may be early warning signals. Without those, all other professional signals are encouraging, especially since analysts are getting more optimistic. ...read more
Value Strategy: Smiths News Stock Price Value at the top
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Smiths News shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Smiths News. 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 Smiths News'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 95. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Smiths News are expected to be higher than for 100% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 100). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation based on Smiths News'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 Smiths News based on its detailed value metrics.
Growth Strategy: Smiths News Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), Smiths News shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Smiths News. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 6, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 94% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 29, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 45. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 55% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 74, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 74% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 25, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Smiths News, 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. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Smiths News Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | November 23, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 2 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 31 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 61 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 16 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), the company Smiths News 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 Smiths News 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 Smiths News. Liquidity is at 61, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 61% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 31, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 69% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 2, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 98% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), Smiths News has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Smiths News Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | November 23, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 100 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 25 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 61 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 31 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with investment alternatives), Smiths News (Distributors, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Smiths News are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 100 (better than 100% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 25), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation based on Smiths News's financial characteristics. As the company Smiths News's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 100) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 25) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 16), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 100% 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. ...read more
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