September 5, 2024
Top 10 Stock Diploma 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: Diploma – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 350 Index
Diploma is listed as a top 10 stock on September 05, 2024 in the market index FTSE 350 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. While the company shows high growth, the stock price is high yet professional investor sentiment is low, which may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior, reflected in a low stock price value. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 62 (high 62% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Diploma on September 05, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Trading & Distribution |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU |
| 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 Diploma Buy
| 360 METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 7 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 99 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 70 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 46 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 62 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 62 (better than 62% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Diploma are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Diploma. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 99, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 99% of competitors in the same industry. In addition, the consolidated Safety Rank has a safer rank of 70 which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 70% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 7 which means that the share price of Diploma is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is higher than for 93% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 46, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 54% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 62, Diploma is better positioned than 62% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, the picture is ambiguous. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 99), and the company is safely financed (Safety Rank of 70). However, professional market sentiment is low(Sentiment Rank of 46). The negative market view on Diploma may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to board the train, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. It is typical for growth companies to have low value ratings, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of Diploma compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one hundred minus the growth rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the value rank is above 60. As market sentiment is low, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company’s future growth potential. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Diploma only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 46 (better than 46% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Diploma is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Diploma. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Diploma. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 66, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 66% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 75, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 75% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 46 (less encouraging than 54% compared with investment alternatives), Diploma has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more
Value Strategy: Diploma Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 7 (worse than 93% compared with alternatives), Diploma shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Diploma. Price-to-Sales is 4 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 96% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Diploma's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 14, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Diploma. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 13 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 70% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 7, is a sell recommendation based on Diploma's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Diploma? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Diploma? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Diploma may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Diploma Growth Momentum high
| GROWTH METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 90 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 66 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 91 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 83 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 99 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 99 (better than 99% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Diploma 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 four indicators above average for Diploma. Sales Growth has a value of 90, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 90% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 66 and for Capital Growth with 91. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 83, which means they have been higher than 83% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 99, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Diploma exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Diploma Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 76 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 10 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 57 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 70 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), the company Diploma 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 Diploma 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 Diploma. Leverage is at a rank of 76, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 76% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 57, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 57% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 10, 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 90% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), Diploma has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Diploma. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Diploma Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | September 5, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 7 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 99 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 57 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 80 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 80 (better than 80% compared with investment alternatives), Diploma (Trading & Distribution, United Kingdom) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Diploma are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 7 (worse than 93% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 99) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 70, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 80, is a strong buy recommendation based on Diploma's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Diploma exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 7), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 99). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 70) 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). ...read more
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