Fact based stock research
Diploma (LSE:DPLM)

GB0001826634

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.

Diploma stock research in summary

diplomaplc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with investment alternatives), Diploma (Trading & Distribution, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Diploma are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 10 (worse than 90% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 30, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 68). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation based on Diploma's financial characteristics. As the company Diploma shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 10 (90% 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 68% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 68). 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 30 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 Diploma, 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	10
Growth Rank	68
Safety Rank	30
Combined Rank	15

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Trading & Distribution
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

19-Dec-2024. 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: Diploma

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	13	5	9	10
GROWTH
GROWTH	86	23	85	68
SAFETY
SAFETY	38	64	32	30
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	47	91	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	15	68	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. 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 Diploma is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	13	5	9	10
GROWTH
GROWTH	86	23	85	68
SAFETY
SAFETY	38	64	32	30
COMBINED
COMBINED	13	12	30	15

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Diploma the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 10 (worse than 90% 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 7 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 93% 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 13, 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 14 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 68% 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 10, 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. 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)	10	9	6	7
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	19	11	13	14
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	8	17	15	13
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	54	40	38	32
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	13	5	9	10

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Diploma; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with alternatives), Diploma 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 all four indicators above average for Diploma. Sales Growth has a value of 62, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 62% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 65 and for Capital Growth with 51. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 68, which means they have been higher than 68% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 68, 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. 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	74	40	72	62
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	80	14	59	65
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	17	58	51
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	56	69	73	68
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	86	23	85	68

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Diploma.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 30 (better than 30% compared with alternatives), the company Diploma has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Diploma 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 just one indicator above average for Diploma. Liquidity is at 56, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 56% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 12, 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 88% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 48, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 52% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 30 (worse than 70% compared with alternatives), Diploma has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	60	70	67	48
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	24	8	14	12
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	43	75	40	56
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	38	64	32	30

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Diploma 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	42	67	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	99	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	28	74	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	94	71	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	47	91	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Diploma.
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