Fact based stock research
SP Plus (NasdaqGS:SP)

US78469C1036

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.

SP Plus stock research in summary

spplus.com


ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with investment alternatives), SP Plus (Facility Services, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SP Plus are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 32 (worse than 68% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 8, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 85). ...read more


RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation based on SP Plus's financial characteristics. As the company SP Plus shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 32 (68% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 85% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 85). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 8 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for SP Plus, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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 USA
Industry Facility Services
Index NASDAQ
Size class Large

21-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: SP Plus

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 SP Plus is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with investment alternatives), SP Plus (Facility Services, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of SP Plus are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 32 (worse than 68% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 8, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 85). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation based on SP Plus's financial characteristics. As the company SP Plus shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 32 (68% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 85% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 85). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 8 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for SP Plus, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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 SP Plus the better the performance.


Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 32 (worse than 68% compared with alternatives), SP Plus shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half are above average for SP Plus. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 53, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning SP Plus's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 69% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 (dividends are expected to be higher than for 1% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 67% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for SP Plus to 33. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 32, is a hold recommendation based on SP Plus's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner on assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities, or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the low Dividend Yield is also explained as such companies tend to invest their income into market development. The other good value ranks for Sales and Profits are encouraging indicators for the stock price value. 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 SP Plus; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.


Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2024, SP Plus 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 SP Plus. Sales Growth has a rank of 52 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 52% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 80, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 88, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 47, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 53% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 85, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. 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 SP Plus.


Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 8 (better than 8% compared with alternatives), the company SP Plus 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 SP Plus 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 SP Plus. Liquidity is at 42, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 58% 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 25, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 75% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 8 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 92% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 8 (worse than 92% compared with alternatives), SP Plus 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 SP Plus 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 SP Plus 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 SP Plus.
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Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for SP Plus from March 21, 2024.

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