Fact based stock research
BlackLine (NasdaqGS:BL)

US09239B1098

How to read the free 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.

BlackLine stock research in summary

blackline.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with investment alternatives), BlackLine (Application Software, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of BlackLine are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 15) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 65), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on BlackLine's financial characteristics. As the company BlackLine's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 15), 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 65) 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	39
Growth Rank	15
Safety Rank	65
Combined Rank	20

Country	USA
Industry	Application Software
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	Small

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

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

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.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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: BlackLine

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	21	28	49	39
GROWTH
GROWTH	17	67	1	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	78	59	71	65
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	75	60	8	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	47	70	15	^new

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

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	21	28	49	39
GROWTH
GROWTH	17	67	1	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	78	59	71	65
COMBINED
COMBINED	27	51	23	20

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% compared with alternatives), BlackLine shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators where three out of four are below average for BlackLine. Only the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) indicates good stock value with a Price-to-Book Rank of 51, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 51% of comparable investments. All other value indicators are below the market median. Price-to-Sales is 40 which means the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 60% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning BlackLine's revenue levels. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 51 and for the dividend yields rank which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation based on BlackLine's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Why are market participants paying such a high price for BlackLine, where three out of four value indicators are below par? One reason could be that the company is well financed, indicated by the high book capital level, and has a promising future that is not yet visible in reported revenues and profits. That would also explain the low dividend yield because the company needs the cash to invest in its future. If investors can verify a picture in this sense, the stock may still be a good investment, even though current company-reported financials don't fully explain current stock prices. 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 essential 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)	30	41	48	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	30	56	63	44
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	28	26	54	51
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	21	28	49	39

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 15 (better than 15% compared with alternatives), BlackLine 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 BlackLine. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 39, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 61% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 1, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 27. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 73% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 69, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 69% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 15, 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 BlackLine, 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	56	57	53	39
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	25	88	14	27
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	32	63	1	1
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	33	29	23	69
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	17	67	1	15

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), the company BlackLine has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of BlackLine 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, with two out of three indicators above-average for BlackLine. Refinancing is at 81, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 60, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 60% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 25, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 75% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), BlackLine has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and BlackLine could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with BlackLine and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	33	10	24	25
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	91	85	90	81
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	51	45	58	60
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	78	59	71	65

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of BlackLine 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	13	19	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	39	50	2	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	51	75	34	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	88	85	55	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	75	60	8	^new

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