Fact based stock research
Direct Line Insurance (LSE:DLG)

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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.

Direct Line Insurance stock research in summary

directlinegroup.co.uk

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with investment alternatives), Direct Line Insurance (Property & Casualty Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Direct Line Insurance are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 31, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 81). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation based on Direct Line Insurance's financial characteristics. As the company Direct Line Insurance shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (65% 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 81% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 81). 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 31 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 Direct Line Insurance, 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	35
Growth Rank	81
Safety Rank	31
Combined Rank	71

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Property & Casualty Insurance
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe
Size class	X-Large

This stock has achievements: Gold Winner CEO.

10-Apr-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: Direct Line Insurance

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	47	51	33	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	5	37	39	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	31	31	31	31
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	45	15	21	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	15	37	37	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 10-Apr-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Direct Line Insurance is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	47	51	33	35
GROWTH
GROWTH	5	37	39	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	31	31	31	31
COMBINED
COMBINED	71	71	71	71

Last update of combined financial performance: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Direct Line Insurance the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 35 (worse than 65% compared with alternatives), Direct Line Insurance 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 Direct Line Insurance. 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 50, which means that the stock price is lower compared with invested capital than for 50% 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 Direct Line Insurance'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 50 and for the dividend yields rank which is lower than for 55% 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 35, is a hold recommendation based on Direct Line Insurance's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Why are market participants paying such a high price for Direct Line Insurance, 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)	35	51	43	40
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	41	31	25	26
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	31	55	48	50
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	93	76	35	45
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	47	51	33	35

Last update of Value Rank: 10-Apr-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Direct Line Insurance; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 81 (better than 81% compared with alternatives) for 2022, Direct Line Insurance 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 but one indicator above average for Direct Line Insurance. Profit Growth has a rank of 92 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 92% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 60, and Stock Returns has a rank of 93 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 93% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 10 (90% of its competitors are better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 81, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	55	8	8	10
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	22	98	10	92
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	17	49	74	60
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	13	7	95	93
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	5	37	39	81

Last update of Growth Rank: 10-Apr-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Direct Line Insurance.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), the company Direct Line Insurance 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 Direct Line Insurance 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 two out of three indicators above average for Direct Line Insurance. Leverage is at a rank of 85, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 85% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 79, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 79% 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 8, 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 92% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with alternatives), Direct Line Insurance has a financing structure that is riskier 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 Direct Line Insurance. 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. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Direct Line Insurance 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	52	82	85	85
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	8	8	8	8
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	59	1	4	79
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	31	31	31	31

Last update of Safety Rank: 6-Oct-2022. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Direct Line Insurance 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	28	17	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	7	50	61	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	79	7	31	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	26	43	43	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	45	15	21	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 10-Apr-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Direct Line Insurance.
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