Fact based stock research
Spirent (LSE:SPT)

GB0004726096

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.

Spirent stock research in summary

spirent.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with investment alternatives), Spirent (Communications Equipment, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Spirent are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 36 (worse than 64% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 32) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 89), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on Spirent's financial characteristics. As the company Spirent's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 36) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 32), 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. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 89) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for 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	36
Growth Rank	32
Safety Rank	89
Combined Rank	51

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Communications Equipment
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350
Size class	Medium

26-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

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Spirent

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	59	77	83	36
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	17	3	32
SAFETY
SAFETY	29	85	85	89
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	10	47	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	41	63	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 26-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Spirent is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	59	77	83	36
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	17	3	32
SAFETY
SAFETY	29	85	85	89
COMBINED
COMBINED	29	73	70	51

Last update of combined financial performance: 26-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Spirent the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 36 (worse than 64% compared with alternatives), Spirent shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Spirent. Price-to-Sales is 35 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 65% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Spirent's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 29, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Spirent. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 28 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 52% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 36, is a hold recommendation based on Spirent's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Spirent? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Spirent? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Spirent may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. 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)	43	53	56	35
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	72	74	54	28
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	18	37	53	29
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	56	75	88	48
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	59	77	83	36

Last update of Value Rank: 26-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Spirent; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 32 (better than 32% compared with alternatives), Spirent 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 three out of four indicators below average for Spirent. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 11, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 89% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 42, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 24. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 76% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 92, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 92% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 32, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Spirent, 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	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	39	17	10	11
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	45	19	10	24
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	84	28	42
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	52	23	9	92
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	44	17	3	32

Last update of Growth Rank: 26-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Spirent.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Spirent has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Spirent is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Spirent. Leverage is at a rank of 81, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 81% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 89, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 89% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 40, 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 60% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with alternatives), Spirent has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Spirent. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Spirent and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	60	76	78	81
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	14	41	51	40
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	84	89	91	89
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	29	85	85	89

Last update of Safety Rank: 26-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Spirent 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	36	84	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	34	62	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	16	20	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	10	47	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 26-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Spirent.
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