Fact based stock research
Provident Services (NYSE:PFS)
US74386T1051
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.
Provident Services stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with investment alternatives), Provident Services (Thrifts & Mortgage Finance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Provident Services are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 79) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 23), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation based on Provident Services's financial characteristics. As the company Provident Services's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 79), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 23) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. 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
Log in or sign up to see the new 360° View and Sentiment ranks.
Country | USA |
Industry | Thrifts & Mortgage Finance |
Index | Dividends USA, Sound Pay USA |
Size class | Medium |
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.
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: Provident Services
RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VALUE | ||||||||
VALUE | 60 |
|
39 |
|
92 |
|
71 |
|
GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 98 |
|
89 |
|
52 |
|
79 |
|
SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 43 |
|
69 |
|
67 |
|
23 |
|
SENTIMENT | ||||||||
SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
47 |
|
39 |
|
new | |
360° VIEW | ||||||||
360° VIEW | n/a |
|
79 |
|
79 |
|
new |
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with investment alternatives), Provident Services (Thrifts & Mortgage Finance, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Provident Services are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 79) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 23), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation based on Provident Services's financial characteristics. As the company Provident Services's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 71) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 79), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 23) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. 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 | 60 |
|
39 |
|
92 |
|
71 |
|
GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 98 |
|
89 |
|
52 |
|
79 |
|
SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 43 |
|
69 |
|
67 |
|
23 |
|
COMBINED | ||||||||
COMBINED | 86 |
|
87 |
|
90 |
|
73 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), Provident Services shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Provident Services. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 93 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 93% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Provident Services'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 47, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 47% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 61% of alternatives (only 39% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 12% 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 71, is a buy recommendation based on Provident Services's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. 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 especially important 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) | 28 |
|
20 |
|
91 |
|
39 |
|
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 54 |
|
41 |
|
86 |
|
93 |
|
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 63 |
|
45 |
|
56 |
|
47 |
|
DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
DIVIDEND YIELD | 71 |
|
85 |
|
88 |
|
88 |
|
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 60 |
|
39 |
|
92 |
|
71 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Provident Services 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 Provident Services. Sales Growth has a rank of 85 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 85% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 77, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 55, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 47, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 53% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 79, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. 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 | 91 |
|
51 |
|
100 |
|
85 |
|
PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
PROFIT GROWTH | 40 |
|
67 |
|
34 |
|
77 |
|
CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
79 |
|
45 |
|
47 |
|
STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
STOCK RETURNS | 85 |
|
71 |
|
27 |
|
55 |
|
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 98 |
|
89 |
|
52 |
|
79 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 23 (better than 23% compared with alternatives), the company Provident Services 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 Provident Services 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 Provident Services. Liquidity is at 65, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 65% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 19, 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 81% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 20, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 80% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with alternatives), Provident Services has a financing structure that is significantly 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 | 29 |
|
72 |
|
78 |
|
20 |
|
REFINANCING | ||||||||
REFINANCING | 50 |
|
58 |
|
10 |
|
19 |
|
LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
LIQUIDITY | 55 |
|
48 |
|
79 |
|
65 |
|
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 43 |
|
69 |
|
67 |
|
23 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
18 |
|
46 |
|
new | |
OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
50 |
|
50 |
|
new | |
PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
86 |
|
46 |
|
new | |
MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
20 |
|
15 |
|
new | |
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
47 |
|
39 |
|
new |
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Provident Services from December 19, 2024.
Obermatt Portfolio Performance
We’re so convinced about our free research, that we buy our stock tips.
See the performance of the Obermatt portfolio.