Fact based stock research
Life Healthcare Group (JSE:LHC)
ZAE000145892
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.
Life Healthcare Group stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Life Healthcare Group (Health Care Facilities, South Africa) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Life Healthcare Group are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 85 (better than 85% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Life Healthcare Group's financial characteristics. As the company Life Healthcare Group's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 85) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 16), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 85% of comparable companies, may indicate 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. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | South Africa |
| Industry | Health Care Facilities |
| Index | Low Emissions, Good Governace Growth Markets, Independent Boards Growth Markets, JSE All Shares |
| Size class | Small |
31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Life Healthcare Group
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 91 |
|
84 |
|
81 |
|
85 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 85 |
|
39 |
|
45 |
|
13 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 14 |
|
10 |
|
45 |
|
16 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 86 |
|
16 |
|
79 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 99 |
|
17 |
|
80 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with investment alternatives), Life Healthcare Group (Health Care Facilities, South Africa) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Life Healthcare Group are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 85 (better than 85% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 13), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Life Healthcare Group's financial characteristics. As the company Life Healthcare Group's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 85) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 13) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 16), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 85% of comparable companies, may indicate 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. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 91 |
|
84 |
|
81 |
|
85 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 85 |
|
39 |
|
45 |
|
13 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 14 |
|
10 |
|
45 |
|
16 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 90 |
|
37 |
|
72 |
|
12 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 85 (better than 85% compared with alternatives) for 2025, Life Healthcare Group shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Life Healthcare Group. Price-to-Sales is 88 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 88% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Life Healthcare Group's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 85% 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 67. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Life Healthcare Group are expected to be higher than for 90% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 90). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 85, is a buy recommendation based on Life Healthcare Group'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 Life Healthcare Group based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 89 |
|
82 |
|
81 |
|
88 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 69 |
|
74 |
|
74 |
|
85 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 82 |
|
76 |
|
67 |
|
67 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 92 |
|
89 |
|
88 |
|
90 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 91 |
|
84 |
|
81 |
|
85 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), Life Healthcare Group 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 three out of four indicators below average for Life Healthcare Group. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 16, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 84% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 33, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 12. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 88% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 63, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 63% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Life Healthcare Group, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. 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 low here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 27 |
|
15 |
|
6 |
|
16 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 63 |
|
58 |
|
6 |
|
12 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 85 |
|
56 |
|
71 |
|
33 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 79 |
|
49 |
|
97 |
|
63 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 85 |
|
39 |
|
45 |
|
13 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), the company Life Healthcare Group has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Life Healthcare Group 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 all three metrics below average for Life Healthcare Group. Liquidity is at 45, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 55% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 38, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 62% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 3 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 97% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), Life Healthcare Group has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Life Healthcare Group because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 22 |
|
34 |
|
36 |
|
38 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 9 |
|
7 |
|
49 |
|
3 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 39 |
|
37 |
|
50 |
|
45 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 14 |
|
10 |
|
45 |
|
16 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
27 |
|
41 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | 30 |
|
5 |
|
50 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | 94 |
|
19 |
|
100 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | 73 |
|
84 |
|
88 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | 86 |
|
16 |
|
79 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Life Healthcare Group from July 31, 2025.
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