Fact based stock research
Zscaler (NasdaqGS:ZS)

US98980G1022

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.

Zscaler stock research in summary

zscaler.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), Zscaler (Systems Software, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Zscaler are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 14 (worse than 86% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 24), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 13), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on Zscaler's financial characteristics. As the company Zscaler's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 14), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 24), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 13), 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	14
Growth Rank	24
Safety Rank	13
Combined Rank	1

Country	USA
Industry	Systems Software
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	Large

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: Zscaler

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	11	6	14
GROWTH
GROWTH	67	75	82	24
SAFETY
SAFETY	2	22	10	13
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	17	92	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	1	40	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Oct-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Zscaler is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	1	11	6	14
GROWTH
GROWTH	67	75	82	24
SAFETY
SAFETY	2	22	10	13
COMBINED
COMBINED	7	10	7	1

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

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 14 (worse than 86% compared with alternatives), Zscaler shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Zscaler. Price-to-Sales is 15 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 85% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Zscaler's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 17, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Zscaler. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 26 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 99% 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 14, is a sell recommendation based on Zscaler's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Zscaler? 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 Zscaler? 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. Zscaler 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)	1	6	9	15
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	2	4	16	26
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	4	8	6	17
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	1	11	6	14

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

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 24 (better than 24% compared with alternatives), Zscaler shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below-average for Zscaler. While Sales Growth ranks at 88, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 88% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 8, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 92% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 35. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 31 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 69% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 24, is a sell 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	79	83	92	88
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	30	56	8
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	63	45	35
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	92	81	97	31
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	67	75	82	24

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

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 13 (better than 13% compared with alternatives), the company Zscaler 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 Zscaler 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 Zscaler. Liquidity is at 28, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 72% 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 23, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 77% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 23 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 77% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 13 (worse than 87% compared with alternatives), Zscaler 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 Zscaler because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	33	24	24	23
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	43	35	37	23
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	6	37	21	28
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	2	22	10	13

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Zscaler 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	42	85	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	44	100	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	29	70	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	38	46	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	17	92	^new

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