Fact based stock research
IMI (LSE:IMI)

GB00BGLP8L22

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.

IMI stock research in summary

imiplc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 9 (worse than 91% compared with investment alternatives), IMI (Industrial Machinery, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of IMI are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 15 (worse than 85% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 41), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 25), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 9, is a sell recommendation based on IMI's financial characteristics. As the company IMI's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 15), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 41), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 25), 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	15
Growth Rank	41
Safety Rank	25
Combined Rank	9

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Industrial Machinery
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU, Water Tech
Size class	Medium

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.

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: IMI

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	43	30	20	15
GROWTH
GROWTH	11	79	49	41
SAFETY
SAFETY	25	11	12	25
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	71	86	100	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	21	53	30	^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 IMI is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	43	30	20	15
GROWTH
GROWTH	11	79	49	41
SAFETY
SAFETY	25	11	12	25
COMBINED
COMBINED	9	30	7	9

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 15 (worse than 85% compared with alternatives), IMI 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 IMI. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 50, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning IMI's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 15 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 85% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning IMI'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 16 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 69% 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 15, is a sell recommendation based on IMI'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 IMI 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	41	23	19	15
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	58	48	46	50
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	21	20	13	16
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	49	45	33	31
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	43	30	20	15

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 41 (better than 41% compared with alternatives), IMI 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 half of the indicators below and half above average for IMI. Profit Growth has a rank of 52, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 52% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 71 (above 71% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 35, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 65% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 29. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for IMI. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	22	55	49	35
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	14	45	50	52
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	30	76	45	29
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	65	79	65	71
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	11	79	49	41

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 25 (better than 25% compared with alternatives), the company IMI has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of IMI 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 IMI. Liquidity is at 70, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 70% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 15, 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 85% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 24, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 76% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 25 (worse than 75% compared with alternatives), IMI has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	26	10	24	24
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	31	25	14	15
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	58	40	51	70
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	25	11	12	25

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of IMI 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	42	74	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	44	42	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	93	100	88	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	47	72	88	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	71	86	100	^new

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