Fact based stock research
Hill & Smith (LSE:HILS)

GB0004270301

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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.

Hill & Smith stock research in summary

hsholdings.co.uk

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 32 (worse than 68% 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 20 (worse than 80% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 35) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 76), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 32, 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 20) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 35), 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 76) 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. 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	20
Growth Rank	35
Safety Rank	76
Combined Rank	32

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Steel
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350
Size class	Small

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

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

Research History: Hill & Smith

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	21	6	14	20
GROWTH
GROWTH	4	97	70	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	52	30	60	76
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	82	96	94	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	19	72	71	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Hill & Smith is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	21	6	14	20
GROWTH
GROWTH	4	97	70	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	52	30	60	76
COMBINED
COMBINED	6	37	53	32

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Hill & Smith the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Hill & Smith. Price-to-Sales is 23 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 77% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Hill & Smith's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 14, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Hill & Smith. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 44 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 52% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on Hill & Smith's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Hill & Smith? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Hill & Smith? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Hill & Smith may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. 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)	30	13	13	23
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	20	20	40	44
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	22	6	6	14
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	48	34	52	48
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	21	6	14	20

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Hill & Smith; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith 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 metrics below average for Hill & Smith. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 65, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 65% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 49, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 51% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 22 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 37 (63% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. 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 limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	21	64	65	49
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	8	71	64	65
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	17	71	47	22
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	49	95	68	37
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	4	97	70	35

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Hill & Smith.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company Hill & Smith has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. 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 68, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 68% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 80, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 80% 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 31, 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 69% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives), Hill & Smith has a financing structure that is significantly 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. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Hill & Smith 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	49	55	66	68
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	36	24	26	31
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	63	42	67	80
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	52	30	60	76

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Hill & Smith 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	85	86	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	61	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	79	100	98	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	80	81	75	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	82	96	94	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Hill & Smith.
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