Fact based stock research
Woolworths Holdings (JSE:WHL)

ZAE000063863

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.

Woolworths Holdings stock research in summary

woolworthsholdings.co.za

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 23 (worse than 77% compared with investment alternatives), Woolworths Holdings (Department Stores, South Africa) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Woolworths Holdings are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 23, is a sell recommendation based on Woolworths Holdings's financial characteristics. As the company Woolworths Holdings's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 63) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 27), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 63% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. 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	63
Growth Rank	27
Safety Rank	27
Combined Rank	23

Country	South Africa
Industry	Department Stores
Index	Good Governace Growth Markets, JSE All Shares
Size class	Medium

31-Jul-2025. 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: Woolworths Holdings

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	69	43	49	63
GROWTH
GROWTH	29	51	23	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	22	43	33	27
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	35	49	17	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	25	45	3	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 29-Dec-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Woolworths Holdings is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	69	43	49	63
GROWTH
GROWTH	29	51	23	27
SAFETY
SAFETY	22	43	33	27
COMBINED
COMBINED	29	41	13	23

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Woolworths Holdings the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), Woolworths Holdings shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Woolworths Holdings. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 59, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 59% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Woolworths Holdings's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 64% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 86 (dividends are expected to be higher than 86% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 76% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for Woolworths Holdings to 24. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation based on Woolworths Holdings's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	69	42	48	59
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	71	52	57	64
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	39	24	32	24
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	71	77	77	86
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	69	43	49	63

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Woolworths Holdings; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), Woolworths Holdings 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 Woolworths Holdings. While Sales Growth ranks at 56, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 56% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 13, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 87% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 46. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 39 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 61% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 27, 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	14	44	51	56
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	14	30	22	13
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	56	44	38	46
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	71	71	27	39
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	29	51	23	27

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Woolworths Holdings.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), the company Woolworths Holdings has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Woolworths Holdings 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 Woolworths Holdings. Liquidity is at 43, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 57% 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 16, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 84% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 41 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 59% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Woolworths Holdings has a financing structure that is 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 Woolworths Holdings because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	10	30	21	16
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	29	37	27	41
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	37	61	55	43
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	22	43	33	27

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Woolworths Holdings and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	19	24	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	17	28	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	99	83	28	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	18	58	48	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	35	49	17	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Woolworths Holdings.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.