December 12, 2024
Top 10 Stock Lancashire Strong 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: Lancashire – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 250 Index


lancashiregroup.com


Lancashire is listed as a top 10 stock on December 12, 2024 in the market index FTSE 250 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, including positive market sentiment in the professional investor community, it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 100 (top 100% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall strong buy recommendation for Lancashire on December 12, 2024.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country United Kingdom
Industry Property & Casualty Insurance
Index FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350
Size class Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

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 Lancashire Strong Buy

360 METRICS December 12, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Lancashire are very positive. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with all four indicators above average for Lancashire. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 87, which means that the share price of Lancashire is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 87% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 57, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 70. Finally, professional market sentiment is above average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 75. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 100, Lancashire is better positioned than 100% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As all consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Value Rank of 87), above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57), safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 70), and a positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 75), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the shares is limited and disappointments are less likely to occur, unless information not publicly available. High-Value Ranks sometimes indicate that the company's future is challenging. If they are safely financed and have above average growth, and are still a good value, it may indicate that this will not continue. We recommend evaluating whether the future of Lancashire is as difficult as the stock’s low price, despite what good growth and safe financing practice suggest. Since the professional community is optimistic, you might have less to worry about, and the stock is just not sufficiently visible, which may indicate good timing right now. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Lancashire very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS December 12, 2024
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2022, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Lancashire is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Lancashire. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 72 (better than 72% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 100, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 100% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change is negative with a below 50 rank of 44, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse in recommending the company. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in Lancashire. There are also only so many institutional investors holding company stock with a Professional Investors rank of 45, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 55% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 75 (more positive than 75% compared with investment alternatives), Lancashire has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. The signals are ambivalent. The positive news in the market contradicts the negative change in analyst recommendations. Since the overall analyst recommendations are still above average, the stock may be safer for investing, especially if it is not an extra-large company where Pros tend to be less present. In such a case, the Pro Investor rank is not a problem. ...read more



Value Strategy: Lancashire Stock Price Value at the top

VALUE METRICS December 12, 2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2022, Lancashire shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Lancashire. Price-to-Sales is 50 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 50% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Lancashire's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 90% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 63. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Lancashire are expected to be higher than for 100% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 100). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation based on Lancashire's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Lancashire based on its detailed value metrics.



Growth Strategy: Lancashire Growth Momentum good

GROWTH METRICS December 12, 2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), Lancashire shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Lancashire. Sales Growth has a rank of 52 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 52% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 42% of competitors with a rank of 73, and Stock Returns with the rank of 51 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 42 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 58% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, Lancashire is a good growth stock. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Lancashire Debt Financing Safety above-average

SAFETY METRICS December 12, 2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), the company Lancashire 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 Lancashire 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 Lancashire. Leverage is at a rank of 70, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 70% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 65, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 65% 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 38, 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 62% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 70 (better than 70% compared with alternatives), Lancashire 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 Lancashire. 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: Lancashire Top Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE December 12, 2024
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Lancashire (Property & Casualty Insurance, United Kingdom) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Lancashire are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 87 (better than 87% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 57), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 70), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 94, is a strong buy recommendation based on Lancashire's financial characteristics. As the company Lancashire's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 87), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 57), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 70), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Lancashire. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more

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