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Gooch & Housego

GHH.L
44
Hardware, Equipment & Parts · Technology
Price
1,205.00 GBp
+0.00 (+0.00%)
Market Cap
£329.8M
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
44
Winston is serious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Mar 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Good
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Weak

Share count rising — dilution

+4.8% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 25.3M (2021) → 26.5M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Gooch & Housego is a UK-based manufacturer of precision optical components and systems. It makes products that control, measure, and manipulate laser light, including acousto-optic devices, fiber optic components, and laser systems. Its customers include defense contractors, aerospace companies, medical device makers, and industrial manufacturers who need highly specialized optical technology.

The company earns revenue by selling these engineered components and systems directly to other businesses, with some longer-term project-based contracts in defense and aerospace. Gooch & Housego operates primarily in the UK and US, with a market cap of roughly $300 million, and its competitive edge comes from deep technical expertise and long-standing customer relationships in markets where precision and reliability matter more than price. The main risk is that its relatively small size and exposure to lumpy defense and industrial spending cycles can make revenue unpredictable, while its low operating margin of around 6% leaves little room for error if demand softens.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+15.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+13.1% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady EPS growth

R&D Spend

£7M/ year

Declining (-7% vs prior year)

4.8% of revenue

Below sector average (15%)

R&D spend declining — could signal cost-cutting or efficiency

Insider Activity

5.1%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Runway

~16 months

£5M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Adequate runway but may need to raise capital within 2 years

Growth context

Gooch & Housego is growing revenue at 16% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
26.9%
Modest — 26.9% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
5.6%
Thin — 5.6% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
6.4%
Weak — 6.4% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+12.7%
Fast-growing sales (+12.7% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-26.7%
Earnings shrinking (-26.7% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
200%
Turns 200% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
1.5%
Thin free cash flow (1.5%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.34
Conservative — low debt load (0.34)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
3.56x
Tight — interest eats into profit (3.6x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
81.7x
Expensive — P/E 81.7

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+55.2
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (81.7 → 26.5)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
1.10%
Small dividend — 1.10% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+2.3%
Dividend flat

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