April 17, 2025
Top 10 Stock Hill & Smith Buy Recommendation
How to read the 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.
Snapshot: Hill & Smith – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 350 Index
Hill & Smith is listed as a top 10 stock on April 17, 2025 in the market index FTSE 350 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 50 (high 50% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Hill & Smith on April 17, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Steel |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350 |
| Size class | Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Hill & Smith Buy
| 360 METRICS | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 23 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 69 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 97 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 50 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 50 (better than 50% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Hill & Smith are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for Hill & Smith. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 97, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 97% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 69 or better than 69% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 21, meaning that the share price of Hill & Smith is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 23. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 50, Hill & Smith is better positioned than 50% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 97) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 69), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of Hill & Smitḥ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Hill & Smith very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 97 (better than 97% compared with alternatives) for 2025, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Hill & Smith is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Hill & Smith. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 91 (better than 91% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 92, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Hill & Smith. The Professional Investors rank is 90, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 90% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 57 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 57% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 97 (more positive than 97% compared with investment alternatives), Hill & Smith has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Hill & Smith stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: Hill & Smith Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Hill & Smith. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 60% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 17 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 83% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Hill & Smith's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 43 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 57% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 14 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 86% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation based on Hill & Smith's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Hill & Smith? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Hill & Smith only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Hill & Smith Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 23 (better than 23% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Hill & Smith. Sales Growth has a rank of 19, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 81% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 44, and Capital Growth with 41. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 41, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 59% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Hill & Smith Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 67 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 28 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 78 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 69 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 69 (better than 69% compared with alternatives), the company Hill & Smith 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 Hill & Smith 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 Hill & Smith. Leverage is at a rank of 67, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 67% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 78, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 78% 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 28, 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 72% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 69 (better than 69% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith 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 Hill & Smith. 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. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Hill & Smith Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | April 17, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 21 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 23 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 78 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 31 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 31 (worse than 69% compared with investment alternatives), Hill & Smith (Steel, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Hill & Smith are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 23) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 69), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation based on Hill & Smith's financial characteristics. As the company Hill & Smith's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 21) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 23), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 69) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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