January 18, 2024
Top 10 Stock Mears 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: Mears – Top 10 Stock in Sound Pay Practices in Europe
Mears is listed as a top 10 stock on January 18, 2024 in the market index Sound Pay Europe because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, the professional market sentiment is positive and it may be a solid investment proposition, especially if a growth recovery is to be expected soon. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 73 (high 73% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Mears on January 18, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Diversified Support Services |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, Dividends Europe, Sound Pay Europe |
| Size class | Large |
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 Mears Buy
| 360 METRICS | January 18, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 57 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 45 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 43 |
|
||||||
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 98 |
|
||||||
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 73 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Mears are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for Mears. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 57, which means that the share price of Mears is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is lower than for 57% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 98, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 98% of alternative investment opportunities. But the consolidated Growth Rank has a low rank of 45, which means that the company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. The consolidated Safety Rank has a riskier rank of 43, meaning the company has a riskier financing structure than 57 comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 73, Mears is better positioned than 73% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit above-average performance, but the other half are below market levels. The company enjoys a good value (Value Rank of 57) and positive market sentiment in the professional investor community (Sentiment Rank of 98), but growth expectations are below-average (Growth Rank of 45) and the financing structure is on the risky side(Safety Rank of 43). This combination is rather dangerous, because high debt levels (low safety) require growth to finance the debt burden. The current low growth level may be temporary, because professionals are actually optimistic (positive sentiment). Good value is sometimes an indication that the company's future is challenging. The below-par growth performance may be the reason for this assessment. Companies with less growth typically have a lower price than fast-growing competitors. Even though professional investor sentiment is strong, we recommend further evaluating whether the future of Mears is as challenging as the stock's low price suggests. Since the professional community is optimistic, the stock might just be going through a more challenging phase now, indicating that timing might be good now. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Mears very positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives) for 2024, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Mears is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all four indicators above average for Mears. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 58 (better than 58% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive with a rank of 100, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the better and recommending investing in the company. They are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Mears. The Professional Investors rank is 100, which means that currently, professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 100% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Finally, Market Pulse has a rank of 66 which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the positive side when discussing this company (more positive news than for 66% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 98 (more positive than 98% compared with investment alternatives), Mears has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. Since all market sentiment indicators are positive, the professional community highly recommends investment in the company. Does this mean Mears stocks are a safe investment? Far from it. Even professionals make mistakes. Especially in stock investing, there is a tendency to follow the leaders. Since trees don't grow to the heavens, such positive sentiment may also be interpreted as a danger sign. A lot of optimism can often be a sign of troubles to come, albeit unforeseen by most. ...read more
Value Strategy: Mears Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), Mears shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Mears. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 74, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 74% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Mears's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 73, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 73% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 52% of alternatives (only 48% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 52% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on Mears's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Mears Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 45 (better than 45% compared with alternatives), Mears 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 Mears. Profit Growth has a rank of 70, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 70% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 98 (above 98% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 1, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 99% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 19. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 45, 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 Mears. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Mears Debt Financing Safety below-average
| SAFETY METRICS | January 18, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 48 |
|
||||||
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 41 |
|
||||||
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 29 |
|
||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 43 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), the company Mears 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 Mears 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 Mears. Liquidity is at 29, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 71% 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 48, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 52% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 41 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with alternatives), Mears has a financing structure that is 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.
Combined financial peformance: Mears Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | January 18, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 57 |
|
||||||
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 45 |
|
||||||
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 29 |
|
||||||
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 42 |
|
||||||
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 42 (worse than 58% compared with investment alternatives), Mears (Diversified Support Services, United Kingdom) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Mears are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 45), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 43), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 42, is a hold recommendation based on Mears's financial characteristics. As the company Mears's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 57) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 45) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 43), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 57% 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. ...read more
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.