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Johnson Matthey

JMAT.L
27
Chemicals - Specialty · Basic Materials
Price
2,274.00 GBp
-7.00 (-0.31%)
Market Cap
£2.86B
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
27
Winston is worried
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Mar 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Mixed
Valuation
Data not available
Dividends
Strong

Share count falling — buybacks

12.2% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 191.6M (2022) → 168.2M (2026)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Johnson Matthey is a British chemicals company that specialises in technologies using precious metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Its most important product is catalytic converters — the devices inside car exhaust systems that reduce harmful pollution. It also makes chemicals used in pharmaceuticals and industrial processes, selling mainly to automakers, drug companies, and industrial manufacturers.

The company earns money by processing and selling specialised chemical products and licensing its technology, rather than through subscriptions or software. It operates globally, with a strong presence in Europe, North America, and Asia, and generates roughly $4 billion in annual revenue. Johnson Matthey's deep expertise in precious metal chemistry and its long relationships with major automakers have historically been its competitive edge, but the shift toward electric vehicles — which do not need catalytic converters — is a serious long-term threat to its largest business, and the company is actively trying to find new growth areas to replace that declining demand.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

+19.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+29.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Strong earnings growth

R&D Spend

£82M/ year

Declining (-16% vs prior year)

0.7% of revenue

Below sector average (3%)

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

Insider Activity

2.6%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

£757M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Johnson Matthey is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 19%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

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

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
4.4%
Thin — 4.4% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
2.2%
Thin — 2.2% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
8.5%
Below par — 8.5% 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
+7.7%
Steady sales growth (+7.7% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-128.4%
Earnings shrinking (-128.4% YoY)

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

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
N/A
Data not available
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
1.3%
Thin free cash flow (1.3%)

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
0.69
Moderate — manageable debt (0.69)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.59x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.6x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
N/M
Negative earnings — P/E not meaningful
Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
N/A
not available
Data not available

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
3.57%
Moderate income — 3.57% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+295.1%
Dividend growing fast (295.1% YoY)

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