Is Catalent Inc (CTLT) Set to Underperform? Analyzing the Factors Limiting Growth

Unraveling the Financial Metrics and Future Prospects of Catalent Inc

Long-established in the Drug Manufacturers industry, Catalent Inc (CTLT, Financial) has enjoyed a stellar reputation. However, it has recently witnessed a daily loss of 1.64%, juxtaposed with a three-month change of 3.55%. Fresh insights from the GuruFocus Score Rating hint at potential headwinds. Notably, its diminished rankings in financial strength, growth, and valuation suggest that the company might not live up to its historical performance. Join us as we dive deep into these pivotal metrics to unravel the evolving narrative of Catalent Inc.

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Understanding the GF Score

The GF Score is a stock performance ranking system developed by GuruFocus using five aspects of valuation, which has been found to be closely correlated to the long-term performances of stocks by backtesting from 2006 to 2021. The stocks with a higher GF Score generally generate higher returns than those with a lower GF Score. Therefore, when picking stocks, investors should invest in companies with high GF Scores. The GF Score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 as the highest rank.

Based on the above method, GuruFocus assigned Catalent Inc the GF Score of 67 out of 100, which signals poor future outperformance potential.

Company Snapshot: Catalent Inc

Catalent Inc, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), operates under four segments: biologics, softgel and oral technologies, oral and specialty delivery, and clinical supply services. The company derives its revenues primarily from long-term supply agreements with pharmaceutical customers. It provides a range of development and manufacturing solutions for drugs, protein-based biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products throughout the entire life cycle of a product from the drug development process to commercial supply. Catalent has over 50 facilities across four continents.

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Financial Strength Analysis

Catalent Inc's financial strength indicators present some concerning insights about the company's balance sheet health. The company's interest coverage ratio of 0.4 positions it worse than 96.93% of 684 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry. This ratio highlights potential challenges the company might face when handling its interest expenses on outstanding debt. The company's Altman Z-Scoreis just 1.33, which is below the distress zone of 1.81. This suggests that the company may face financial distress over the next few years. Additionally, the company's low cash-to-debt ratio at 0.06 indicates a struggle in handling existing debt levels. Furthermore, the company's debt-to-Ebitda ratio is 27.4, which is above Joel Tillinghast's warning level of 4 and is worse than 98.09% of 627 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry.

Growth Prospects

A lack of significant growth is another area where Catalent Inc seems to falter, as evidenced by the company's low Growth rank. Lastly, Catalent Inc predictability rank is just one star out of five, adding to investor uncertainty regarding revenue and earnings consistency.

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Conclusion

Given the company's financial strength, profitability, and growth metrics, the GuruFocus Score Rating highlights the firm's unparalleled position for potential underperformance. The combination of a weak balance sheet, low growth prospects, and a low predictability rank suggests that Catalent Inc may struggle to outperform in the future. Therefore, investors should exercise caution when considering this stock.

GuruFocus Premium members can find more companies with strong GF Scores using the following screener link: GF Score Screen

Disclosures

I/We may personally own shares in some of the companies mentioned above. However, those positions are not material to either the company or to my/our portfolios.