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 44 (worse than 56% compared with investment alternatives), BlackLine (Application Software, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of BlackLine are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 34 (worse than 66% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 58) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 66, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation based on BlackLine's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company BlackLine exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 34), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 58). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 66) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). 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	34
Growth Rank	58
Safety Rank	66
Combined Rank	44

Country	USA
Industry	Application Software
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	Medium

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

Further information

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

Research History: BlackLine

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	21	28	34
GROWTH
GROWTH	47	17	67	58
SAFETY
SAFETY	15	78	59	66
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	75	60	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	47	70	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 23-Jan-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	21	28	34
GROWTH
GROWTH	47	17	67	58
SAFETY
SAFETY	15	78	59	66
COMBINED
COMBINED	1	27	51	44

Last update of combined financial performance: 23-Jan-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 34 (worse than 66% compared with alternatives), BlackLine shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for BlackLine. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 53, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning BlackLine's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 49 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 51% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning BlackLine'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 25 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% 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 34, is a hold recommendation based on BlackLine's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Can we rely on only one good value indicator? Only if we know the company well. In this case, a high Price-to-Profit Rank, while Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book are both below the market typical levels, means that the company can charge higher prices for its products and needs less capital to produce them. If this is sustainable, then BlackLine is a good investment because profits count most in enterprise valuations. The low dividend yield indicates that the company is confident it can do something with the generated cash that is more valuable than paying the profits out to the shareholders in the form of dividends. 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	15	30	41	49
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	18	30	56	53
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	4	28	26	25
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	1	21	28	34

Last update of Value Rank: 23-Jan-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 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), BlackLine shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for BlackLine. Only Capital Growth has a good rank of 84, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 47% of its competitors. The other three indicators are pointing South: Sales Growth has a rank of 47 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 53% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 47 and Stock Returns with a rank of 39 are also low (below 61% of alternative investments). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 58, is a buy 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 BlackLine 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	52	56	57	47
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	25	88	47
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	32	63	84
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	67	33	29	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	47	17	67	58

Last update of Growth Rank: 23-Jan-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 66 (better than 66% 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 86, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 86% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 70, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 70% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 11, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 89% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 66 (better than 66% 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	52	33	10	11
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	38	91	85	86
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	22	51	45	70
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	15	78	59	66

Last update of Safety Rank: 23-Jan-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	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	52	13	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	39	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	51	75	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	88	85	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	75	60	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 23-Jan-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for BlackLine.
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