Fact based stock research
Harsco (NYSE:HSC)
US4158641070
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.
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Harsco stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Harsco (Facility Services, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Harsco are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 31), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 10), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 6, is a sell recommendation based on Harsco's financial characteristics. As the company Harsco's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 31), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 10), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | Facility Services |
| Index | Energy Efficient |
| Size class | Large |
23-Jan-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Harsco
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 34 |
|
34 |
|
38 |
|
39 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 20 |
|
5 |
|
37 |
|
31 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 10 |
|
10 |
|
16 |
|
10 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
39 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Harsco (Facility Services, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Harsco are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 31), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 10), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 6, is a sell recommendation based on Harsco's financial characteristics. As the company Harsco's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 39), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 31), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 10), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 34 |
|
34 |
|
38 |
|
39 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 20 |
|
5 |
|
37 |
|
31 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 10 |
|
10 |
|
16 |
|
10 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 10 |
|
4 |
|
1 |
|
6 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 39 (worse than 61% compared with alternatives), Harsco shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Harsco. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 97, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 97% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Harsco's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 74% of alternatives (26% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 99% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 3, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 39, is a hold recommendation based on Harsco's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Harsco may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 66 |
|
64 |
|
97 |
|
97 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 14 |
|
44 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 49 |
|
60 |
|
78 |
|
74 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 34 |
|
34 |
|
38 |
|
39 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), Harsco shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half of the indicators are below and half above average for Harsco. Profit Growth, with a rank of 79 (better than 79% of its competitors), and Capital Growth, with a rank of 54, are both positive, which is a healthy sign for positive development. But Sales Growth has only a rank of 10, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 90% of its competitors, and Stock Returns are at a rank of 26. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Stock returns that are a thing of the past can be less of a problem. Below-average revenue growth may be caused by divestments of underperforming businesses. If that is the case, then the positive developments of profit and capital growth are signs of a company with growth potential. If these are the reasons, 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, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 24 |
|
10 |
|
46 |
|
10 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 70 |
|
26 |
|
1 |
|
79 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
18 |
|
57 |
|
54 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 22 |
|
25 |
|
71 |
|
26 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 20 |
|
5 |
|
37 |
|
31 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), the company Harsco has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Harsco 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 Harsco and the other two below average. Refinancing is at 73, meaning the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 73% of its competitors. But Leverage is high with a rank of 8, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. Liquidity is also on the riskier side with a rank of 18, meaning the company generates less profit to service its debt than 82% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with alternatives), Harsco has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. A good Refinancing Rank means that the problems of the company may not be around the corner. But high Leverage is only good if things go well, and low Liquidity is a signal for caution. The financing signals for Harsco are on the riskier side, requiring the company's future to be on the safer side. Investors may want to look at Growth and Sentiment ranks before making an investment decision. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Harsco 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 | 6 |
|
12 |
|
10 |
|
8 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 61 |
|
59 |
|
81 |
|
73 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 10 |
|
20 |
|
14 |
|
18 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 10 |
|
10 |
|
16 |
|
10 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
69 |
|
31 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
50 |
|
17 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
55 |
|
25 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
8 |
|
9 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
39 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Harsco from January 23, 2025.
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