Fact based stock research
WH Smith (LSE:SMWH)

GB00B2PDGW16

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.

WH Smith stock research in summary

whsmithplc.co.uk

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with investment alternatives), WH Smith (Specialty Stores, United Kingdom) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of WH Smith are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 46 (worse than 54% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 49), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 10), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on WH Smith's financial characteristics. As the company WH Smith's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 46), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 49), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 10), 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	46
Growth Rank	49
Safety Rank	10
Combined Rank	12

Country	United Kingdom
Industry	Specialty Stores
Index	FTSE All Shares, FTSE 250, FTSE 350, Human Rights, Renewables Users, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 4, SDG 8
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

14-Nov-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: WH Smith

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	25	28	46
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	57	45	49
SAFETY
SAFETY	11	6	23	10
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	81	90	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	33	39	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 29-Feb-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better WH Smith is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	25	28	46
GROWTH
GROWTH	44	57	45	49
SAFETY
SAFETY	11	6	23	10
COMBINED
COMBINED	1	12	8	12

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of WH Smith the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with alternatives), WH Smith 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 WH Smith. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 65% 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 23 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 77% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning WH Smith's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 46 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 54% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 23 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 77% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 46, is a hold recommendation based on WH Smith's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick WH Smith? 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 WH Smith 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)	33	24	23	23
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	17	19	31	46
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	5	16	19	23
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	62	70	65
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	1	25	28	46

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of WH Smith; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 49 (better than 49% compared with alternatives), WH Smith 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 WH Smith. While Sales Growth ranks at 65, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 65% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 49, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 51% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 22. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 48 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 52% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. 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 isn't stellar here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	11	56	59	65
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	46	91	51	49
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	7	30	22
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	63	57	44	48
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	44	57	45	49

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of WH Smith.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), the company WH Smith 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 WH Smith 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 WH Smith. Liquidity is at 55, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 55% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 18, 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 82% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 9, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 91% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 10 (worse than 90% compared with alternatives), WH Smith 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	58	12	15	9
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	21	21	24	18
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	11	16	60	55
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	11	6	23	10

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of WH Smith 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	78	80	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	82	60	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	16	86	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	62	73	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	81	90	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for WH Smith.
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