Fact based stock research
Sage (LSE:SGE)

GB00B8C3BL03

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.

Sage stock research in summary

sage.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Sage (Application Software, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Sage are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 27 (worse than 73% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 33), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 14), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 6, is a sell recommendation based on Sage's financial characteristics. As the company Sage's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 27), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 33), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 14), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	27
Growth Rank	33
Safety Rank	14
Combined Rank	6

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Application Software
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU, Human Rights, SDG 10, SDG 13, SDG 16, SDG 5, SDG 8
Size class	X-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.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

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.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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: Sage

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	60	73	50	27
GROWTH
GROWTH	8	73	83	33
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	8	25	14
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	43	98	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	53	78	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Sage is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	60	73	50	27
GROWTH
GROWTH	8	73	83	33
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	8	25	14
COMBINED
COMBINED	10	54	51	6

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Sage the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Sage 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 Sage. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 76% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 22 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 78% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Sage's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 24 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 76% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 12 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 88% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation based on Sage's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Sage? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Sage only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. 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)	50	51	27	22
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	43	50	31	24
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	24	31	28	12
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	91	88	79	76
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	60	73	50	27

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Sage; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 33 (better than 33% compared with alternatives), Sage 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 Sage. Profit Growth has a rank of 52, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 52% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 59 (above 59% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 45, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 55% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 14. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 33, 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 Sage. 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 mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	14	21	55	45
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	50	46	56	52
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	87	70	14
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	18	77	79	59
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	8	73	83	33

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Sage.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 14 (better than 14% compared with alternatives), the company Sage 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 Sage 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 Sage. Liquidity is at 51, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 51% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 17, 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 83% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 13, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 87% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with alternatives), Sage 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	36	21	21	13
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	7	7	21	17
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	53	50	52	51
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	21	8	25	14

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Sage and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	15	31	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	26	97	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	80	96	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	78	78	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	43	98	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Sage.
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