Fact based stock research
Sterling Check (NasdaqGS:STER)

US85917T1097

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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.

Sterling Check stock research in summary

sterlingcheck.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 6 (worse than 94% compared with investment alternatives), Sterling Check (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Sterling Check are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 29 (worse than 71% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 11, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 59). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 6, is a sell recommendation based on Sterling Check's financial characteristics. As the company Sterling Check shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 29 (71% 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 59% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 59). 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 11 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 Sterling Check, 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

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	29
Growth Rank	59
Safety Rank	11
Combined Rank	6

Country	USA
Industry	HR- & Employment Services
Index	Robotics, NASDAQ
Size class	Medium

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Oct-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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

Research History: Sterling Check

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	n/a	27	53	29
GROWTH
GROWTH	n/a	57	55	59
SAFETY
SAFETY	n/a	21	16	11
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	80	37	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	30	9	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Oct-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 Sterling Check is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	n/a	27	53	29
GROWTH
GROWTH	n/a	57	55	59
SAFETY
SAFETY	n/a	21	16	11
COMBINED
COMBINED	n/a	16	9	6

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Oct-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Sterling Check the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 29 (worse than 71% compared with alternatives), Sterling Check shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Sterling Check. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 66 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 66% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Sterling Check'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 69, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 69% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than for 71% of alternatives (only 29% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 29, is a hold recommendation based on Sterling Check'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 concerning expected revenues, 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 Group or 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 distribute it to shareholders through dividends, 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)	n/a	27	34	29
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	n/a	57	91	66
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	n/a	67	81	69
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	n/a	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	n/a	27	53	29

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Oct-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Sterling Check; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with alternatives), Sterling Check shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Sterling Check. Sales Growth has a rank of 78 which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow more than 78% of its competitors. Stock Returns are also above average with a rank of 77. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 19, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 81% of its competitors. Profit Growth is also low, with a rank of only 32, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits below average. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is a surprising picture, as the messages from the operating growth indicators of revenues, profits, and invested capital are mixed, while stock returns are above average. It may indicate new intellectual properties, such as brand improvement or a strong market position that shows in revenues but not in the capital. The low profit-growth rate may indicate an early phase where costs are still high, and revenues don't fully cover upfront investments or fixed costs. The positive investor outlook with a 77% peer outperformance is reaffirmed in this case which may be a good sign for an investment into a well-protected high-growth company. This fact needs to be confirmed by researching the company website and press. 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	n/a	65	45	78
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	70	34	32
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	47	93	19
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	n/a	13	17	77
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	n/a	57	55	59

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Oct-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Sterling Check.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 11 (better than 11% compared with alternatives), the company Sterling Check 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 Sterling Check 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 Sterling Check. Liquidity is at 25, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 75% 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 34, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 66% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 44 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 56% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 11 (worse than 89% compared with alternatives), Sterling Check has a financing structure that is significantly 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. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Sterling Check because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	n/a	26	34	34
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	n/a	58	50	44
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	n/a	16	26	25
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	n/a	21	16	11

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Oct-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Sterling Check 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	59	32	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	63	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	86	24	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	58	85	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	80	37	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Oct-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Sterling Check.
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