Fact based stock research
Ashtead (LSE:AHT)

GB0000536739

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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.

Ashtead stock research in summary

ashtead-group.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with investment alternatives), Ashtead (Trading & Distribution, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Ashtead are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 43), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 18), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on Ashtead's financial characteristics. As the company Ashtead's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 63) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 43) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 18), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 63% 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	63
Growth Rank	43
Safety Rank	18
Combined Rank	20

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Trading & Distribution
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe
Size class	Medium

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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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.

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

Research History: Ashtead

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	91	62	65	63
GROWTH
GROWTH	49	71	33	43
SAFETY
SAFETY	18	26	19	18
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	25	70	43	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	45	71	22	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Apr-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Ashtead is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	91	62	65	63
GROWTH
GROWTH	49	71	33	43
SAFETY
SAFETY	18	26	19	18
COMBINED
COMBINED	56	67	19	20

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Ashtead the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), Ashtead shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Ashtead. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 50 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Ashtead's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 37, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 37% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 60% of alternatives (only 40% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 26% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation based on Ashtead's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	54	44	43	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	58	53	55	50
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	54	39	40	37
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	79	82	78	74
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	91	62	65	63

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Ashtead; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), Ashtead 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 Ashtead. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 88, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 26% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 44 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 56% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 26 and Stock Returns with a rank of 37 are also low (below 63% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The good news from the invested capital side is surprising. A company with disappointing revenues, profits, and disappointed shareholders typically doesn't invest above average. Overall, the growth momentum for Ashtead is thus negative. As it is intriguing to see that company executives are optimistic about their investment policy, it is worthwhile looking into the details of the capital investment projects. They may indicate future growth and profits and thus if accompanied by a good value, a sign of good timing to invest in the stock. 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 limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	12	60	35	44
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	58	52	24	26
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	39	61	78	88
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	95	71	41	37
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	49	71	33	43

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Ashtead.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 18 (better than 18% compared with alternatives), the company Ashtead 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 Ashtead 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 Ashtead. Liquidity is at 40, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 60% 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 26 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 74% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with alternatives), Ashtead 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 Ashtead because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	17	16	18	12
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	22	22	19	26
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	48	62	55	40
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	18	26	19	18

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Ashtead and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	72	35	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	4	22	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	46	79	78	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	50	67	55	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	25	70	43	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Ashtead.
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