Fact based stock research
Future (LSE:FUTR)

GB00BYZN9041

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.

Future stock research in summary

futureplc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with investment alternatives), Future (Publishing, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Future are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 38 (worse than 62% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 70) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 57, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 45, is a hold recommendation based on Future's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Future exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 38), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 70). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 57) 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	38
Growth Rank	70
Safety Rank	57
Combined Rank	45

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Publishing
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Diversity Europe, Multimedia
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: Future

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	20	11	70	38
GROWTH
GROWTH	100	65	41	70
SAFETY
SAFETY	26	67	53	57
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	54	55	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	51	60	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Future is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	20	11	70	38
GROWTH
GROWTH	100	65	41	70
SAFETY
SAFETY	26	67	53	57
COMBINED
COMBINED	35	48	64	45

Last update of combined financial performance: 12-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Future the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 38 (worse than 62% compared with alternatives), Future 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 Future. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 79, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 79% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Future's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 37 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 63% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Future'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 1 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 59% 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 38, is a hold recommendation based on Future'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 Future 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)	20	11	49	37
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	43	42	92	79
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	14	35	76	1
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	42	33	37	41
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	20	11	70	38

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), Future 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for Future. Capital Growth has a rank of 67, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 41% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 84 (above 84% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 44, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 56% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 41. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 70, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Future, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this 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 mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	95	33	33	44
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	50	42	41
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	52	76	67
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	88	93	11	84
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	100	65	41	70

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), the company Future 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 Future 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 Future. Leverage is at a rank of 53, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 53% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 53, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 53% 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 40, 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 60% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), Future 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 Future. 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 Future 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	48	54	55	53
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	20	51	40	40
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	50	73	47	53
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	26	67	53	57

Last update of Safety Rank: 12-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Future 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	82	52	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	18	5	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	14	61	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	78	78	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	54	55	^new

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