Fact based stock research
Marks and Spencer (LSE:MKS)
GB0031274896
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.
Marks and Spencer stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with investment alternatives), Marks and Spencer (Food Retail, United Kingdom) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Marks and Spencer are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 94). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 76, is a strong buy recommendation based on Marks and Spencer's financial characteristics. As the company Marks and Spencer shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (55% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 94% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 94). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Marks and Spencer, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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 | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Food Retail |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Employee Focus EU, Human Rights, Renewables Users |
| Size class | XX-Large |
This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.
19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
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.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Marks and Spencer
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 20 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
45 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 74 |
|
87 |
|
93 |
|
94 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 49 |
|
13 |
|
15 |
|
27 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
79 |
|
58 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
83 |
|
70 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with investment alternatives), Marks and Spencer (Food Retail, United Kingdom) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Marks and Spencer are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 94). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 76, is a strong buy recommendation based on Marks and Spencer's financial characteristics. As the company Marks and Spencer shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (55% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 94% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 94). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Marks and Spencer, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. 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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 20 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
45 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 74 |
|
87 |
|
93 |
|
94 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 49 |
|
13 |
|
15 |
|
27 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 43 |
|
75 |
|
76 |
|
76 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 45 (worse than 55% compared with alternatives), Marks and Spencer shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Marks and Spencer. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 54, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 54% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Marks and Spencer's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 44 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 56% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Marks and Spencer'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 43 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 61% 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 45, is a hold recommendation based on Marks and Spencer'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 Marks and Spencer 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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 69 |
|
73 |
|
56 |
|
44 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 31 |
|
74 |
|
58 |
|
54 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 32 |
|
67 |
|
57 |
|
43 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
|
65 |
|
45 |
|
39 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 20 |
|
87 |
|
64 |
|
45 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 94 (better than 94% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Marks and Spencer shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Marks and Spencer. Profit Growth has a rank of 83 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 83% of its competitors. The same is valid for capital growth and stock returns. Capital Growth has a rank of 64, and Stock Returns has a rank of 95 which means that the stock returns have recently been above 95% of alternative investments. Only revenue growth is low with a Sales Growth has a rank of 37 (63% of its competitors are better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 94, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. The many positive growth indicators indicate a positive growth momentum with only low revenue growth. That can also be attributed to divestments or the sale of unprofitable businesses. If that is the reason, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. 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. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 68 |
|
16 |
|
34 |
|
37 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 19 |
|
98 |
|
77 |
|
83 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
59 |
|
59 |
|
64 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 85 |
|
95 |
|
100 |
|
95 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 74 |
|
87 |
|
93 |
|
94 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), the company Marks and Spencer 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 Marks and Spencer 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 Marks and Spencer. Liquidity is at 61, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 61% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 29, 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 71% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 35, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 65% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Marks and Spencer 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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 53 |
|
27 |
|
34 |
|
35 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 31 |
|
23 |
|
25 |
|
29 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 64 |
|
29 |
|
37 |
|
61 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 49 |
|
13 |
|
15 |
|
27 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
37 |
|
45 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
94 |
|
66 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
79 |
|
88 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
28 |
|
39 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
79 |
|
58 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Marks and Spencer from December 19, 2024.
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