Fact based stock research
Hays (LSE:HAS)

GB0004161021

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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.

Hays stock research in summary

haysplc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with investment alternatives), Hays (HR- & Employment Services, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Hays are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 58 (better than 58% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 66, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 36). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on Hays's financial characteristics. As the company Hays's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 58) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 36) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 66), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 58% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. 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	58
Growth Rank	36
Safety Rank	66
Combined Rank	51

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	HR- & Employment Services
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, SDG 13, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 9
Size class	X-Large

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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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.

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Hays

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	9	81	52	58
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	79	37	36
SAFETY
SAFETY	60	92	74	66
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	71	76	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	100	73	^new

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

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	9	81	52	58
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	79	37	36
SAFETY
SAFETY	60	92	74	66
COMBINED
COMBINED	13	98	63	51

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), Hays shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Hays. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 89, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 89% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Hays's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 74, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 74% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 58% of alternatives (only 42% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 71% of comparable companies, 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 58, is a buy recommendation based on Hays's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. 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 especially important 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)	48	95	93	89
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	13	56	36	29
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	33	53	38	42
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	34	77	77	74
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	9	81	52	58

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 36 (better than 36% compared with alternatives), Hays 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, with three out of four indicators below-average for Hays. While Sales Growth ranks at 60, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 60% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 22, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 78% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 35. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 30 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 70% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 36, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. 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 isn't stellar here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	41	23	53	60
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	77	71	32	22
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	89	7	35
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	58	61	39	30
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	44	79	37	36

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 66 (better than 66% compared with alternatives), the company Hays 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 Hays 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 Hays. Refinancing is at 76, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 76% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good 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. However, Leverage is rather large at 42, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 58% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 66 (better than 66% compared with alternatives), Hays has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Hays could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Hays 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	59	62	56	42
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	52	89	77	76
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	85	67	67	56
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	60	92	74	66

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Hays 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	41	75	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	76	74	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	54	51	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	71	76	^new

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