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MARKETS CLOSED · LAST TRADE Thu 03:28 UTC
WRKS60

Works co uk PLC

Miscellaneous Specialty RetailersVerified
Score breakdown
Profitability+35Sentiment+30Risk penalty-3Missing signals-3
Quality breakdown
Key fields100Profile38Conclusion97AI synthesis40Observations23

The company maintains a high debt-to-equity ratio of 4.73, indicating a capital structure heavily reliant on debt financing. With total liabilities of £111.1 million and total equity of £15.84 million, the firm's liquidity position is constrained, as evidenced by a current ratio of 0.86 and negative net cash after subtracting total debt. Free cash flow of £25.75 million provides some flexibility, but the £74.93 million in long-term debt suggests ongoing refinancing risk [doc:HA-latest]. Profitability metrics show a return on equity of 51.62% and a return on assets of 6.44%, which are strong relative to the capital structure but must be evaluated against industry benchmarks. Gross profit of £49.34 million and operating income of £13.10 million indicate a relatively narrow margin profile, with net income of £8.18 million representing a 2.95% margin on revenue. These figures suggest the company operates in a competitive retail environment with limited pricing power [doc:HA-latest]. The company's revenue is concentrated in physical retail operations, with no disclosed segmental breakdown. Geographic exposure is limited to the United Kingdom, where it operates 511 stores. This concentration increases vulnerability to regional economic shifts and consumer spending trends [doc:HA-latest]. Looking ahead, the company's revenue outlook is constrained by the cyclical nature of its retail sector. While free cash flow remains positive, the absence of disclosed revenue growth rates or segment-specific projections limits visibility. Analysts have issued a single "buy" recommendation with a mean price target of £73.00, but no strong buy or hold ratings, suggesting cautious optimism [doc:]. Risk factors include liquidity constraints, with cash and equivalents of £4.12 million insufficient to cover long-term debt. The risk assessment flags negative net cash after debt as a key concern. Dilution risk is currently low, with no difference between basic and diluted shares outstanding, but the company's capital structure leaves room for future equity issuance [doc:HA-latest]. Recent filings and transcripts are not provided in the input data, so no specific events can be cited. However, the company's reliance on physical retail and its exposure to discretionary consumer spending suggest sensitivity to macroeconomic conditions and inflationary pressures [doc:HA-latest].

Profile
CompanyWorks co uk PLC
TickerWRKS.L
SectorConsumer Cyclicals
BusinessRetailers
Industry groupRetailers
IndustryMiscellaneous Specialty Retailers
AI analysis

Business. Works co uk PLC operates as a value retailer in the United Kingdom, offering arts and crafts, stationery, toys, games, and books through approximately 511 stores [doc:HA-latest].

Classification. The company is classified under the Consumer Cyclicals economic sector, Retailers business sector, and Miscellaneous Specialty Retailers industry with a confidence level of 0.92 [doc:verified market data].

The company maintains a high debt-to-equity ratio of 4.73, indicating a capital structure heavily reliant on debt financing. With total liabilities of £111.1 million and total equity of £15.84 million, the firm's liquidity position is constrained, as evidenced by a current ratio of 0.86 and negative net cash after subtracting total debt. Free cash flow of £25.75 million provides some flexibility, but the £74.93 million in long-term debt suggests ongoing refinancing risk [doc:HA-latest]. Profitability metrics show a return on equity of 51.62% and a return on assets of 6.44%, which are strong relative to the capital structure but must be evaluated against industry benchmarks. Gross profit of £49.34 million and operating income of £13.10 million indicate a relatively narrow margin profile, with net income of £8.18 million representing a 2.95% margin on revenue. These figures suggest the company operates in a competitive retail environment with limited pricing power [doc:HA-latest]. The company's revenue is concentrated in physical retail operations, with no disclosed segmental breakdown. Geographic exposure is limited to the United Kingdom, where it operates 511 stores. This concentration increases vulnerability to regional economic shifts and consumer spending trends [doc:HA-latest]. Looking ahead, the company's revenue outlook is constrained by the cyclical nature of its retail sector. While free cash flow remains positive, the absence of disclosed revenue growth rates or segment-specific projections limits visibility. Analysts have issued a single "buy" recommendation with a mean price target of £73.00, but no strong buy or hold ratings, suggesting cautious optimism [doc:]. Risk factors include liquidity constraints, with cash and equivalents of £4.12 million insufficient to cover long-term debt. The risk assessment flags negative net cash after debt as a key concern. Dilution risk is currently low, with no difference between basic and diluted shares outstanding, but the company's capital structure leaves room for future equity issuance [doc:HA-latest]. Recent filings and transcripts are not provided in the input data, so no specific events can be cited. However, the company's reliance on physical retail and its exposure to discretionary consumer spending suggest sensitivity to macroeconomic conditions and inflationary pressures [doc:HA-latest].
Key takeaways
  • The company's capital structure is highly leveraged, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.73 and negative net cash after debt.
  • Profitability is strong relative to equity but weak in absolute terms, with a 2.95% net margin.
  • Revenue is concentrated in the UK retail market, with no disclosed segmental diversification.
  • Analysts have issued a single "buy" recommendation with a mean price target of £73.00, but no strong buy or hold ratings.
  • Liquidity risk is elevated due to limited cash reserves and high long-term debt.
  • --
  • # RATIONALES
  • ```json
Financial snapshot
PeriodHA-latest
CurrencyGBP
Revenue$277.0M
Gross profit$49.3M
Operating income$13.1M
Net income$8.2M
R&D
SG&A
D&A
SBC
Operating cash flow$33.5M
CapEx-$5.9M
Free cash flow$25.8M
Total assets$127.0M
Total liabilities$111.1M
Total equity$15.8M
Cash & equivalents$4.1M
Long-term debt$74.9M
Annual history (last 5)
PeriodRevenueOp IncomeNet IncomeFCF
FY0
FY-1
FY-2
FY-3
FY-4
PeriodGross %Op %Net %FCF %
FY0
FY-1
FY-2
FY-3
FY-4
PeriodAssetsEquityCashDebt
FY0
FY-1
FY-2
FY-3
FY-4
PeriodOCFCapExFCFSBC
FY0
FY-1
FY-2
FY-3
FY-4
Quarterly history (last 4)
PeriodRevenueOp IncomeNet IncomeFCF
FQ0
FQ-1
FQ-2
FQ-3
FQ-4
FQ-5
FQ-6
FQ-7
PeriodGross %Op %Net %FCF %
FQ0
FQ-1
FQ-2
FQ-3
FQ-4
FQ-5
FQ-6
FQ-7
PeriodAssetsEquityCashDebt
FQ0
FQ-1
FQ-2
FQ-3
FQ-4
FQ-5
FQ-6
FQ-7
PeriodOCFCapExFCFSBC
FQ0
FQ-1
FQ-2
FQ-3
FQ-4
FQ-5
FQ-6
FQ-7
Valuation
Market price
Market cap
Enterprise value
P/E
Reported non-GAAP P/E
EV/Revenue
EV/Op income
EV/OCF
P/B
P/Tangible book
Tangible book$15.8M
Net cash-$70.8M
Current ratio0.9
Debt/Equity4.7
ROA6.4%
ROE51.6%
Cash conversion4.1%
CapEx/Revenue-2.1%
SBC/Revenue
Asset intensity
Dilution ratio0.0%
Risk assessment
Dilution riskLow
Liquidity riskMedium
  • Net cash is negative after subtracting total debt.
Industry benchmarks
Activity: Retailers · cohort 2 companies
MetricWRKSActivity
Op margin4.7%20.7% medp25 18.7% · p75 22.8%bottom quartile
Net margin3.0%15.6% medp25 13.4% · p75 17.7%bottom quartile
Gross margin17.8%31.0% medp25 19.6% · p75 40.5%bottom quartile
R&D / revenue0.4% medp25 0.4% · p75 0.4%
CapEx / revenue-2.1%4.6% medp25 3.2% · p75 5.9%bottom quartile
Debt / equity473.0%39.3% medp25 19.7% · p75 97.3%top quartile
Observations
IR observations
Mean price target73.00 GBP
Median price target73.00 GBP
High price target73.00 GBP
Low price target73.00 GBP
Mean recommendation2.00 (1=strong buy, 5=strong sell)
Strong-buy count0.00
Buy count1.00
Hold count0.00
Sell count0.00
Strong-sell count0.00
Mean EPS estimate0.06 GBP
Last actual EPS0.07 GBP
Source data
Underlying data the analysis-pipeline pulls and audits. Fetch timestamps + content hashes show when each source was last refreshed.
Company fundamentalsperiod FQ-7 · history via verified-market-data
no public URL
2026-05-03 12:04 UTC#bfa9a5d8
Source: analysis-pipeline (hybrid)Generated: 2026-05-03 12:05 UTCJob: 92327998