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M&C Saatchi logo

M&C Saatchi

SAA.L
39
Advertising Agencies · Communication Services
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
39
Winston is serious
Below-average fundamentals — multiple weak pillars.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Dec 31, 2025
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Weak
Cash Flow
Weak
Stability
Strong
Valuation
Data not available

Winston Score History

The full picture

M&C Saatchi is a global advertising and marketing agency. It helps businesses build their brands by creating ad campaigns, digital marketing, and communications strategies. Its clients include large corporations, government bodies, and consumer brands across industries like retail, finance, and healthcare.

The company earns money by charging fees for creative and strategic services rather than selling physical products. It operates across more than 20 countries, with a strong presence in the UK, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia and Africa. The M&C Saatchi name carries recognition in the industry, but the agency faces intense competition from much larger rivals like WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom, which have far greater resources and client relationships. A key risk is that the company's negative return on invested capital suggests it is currently destroying more value than it creates, and it will need to improve profitability and win larger client contracts to justify its position as an independent mid-sized agency.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

-4.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

-181.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

27.1%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

£29M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

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

Revenue declining

M&C Saatchi's revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

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
17.5%
Thin — 17.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
9.0%
Modest — 9.0% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
61.4%
Exceptional — 61.4% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
-12.1%
Shrinking sales (-12.1% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-114.9%
Earnings shrinking (-114.9% YoY)

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

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
2/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
N/A
Data not available
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
2.9%
Thin free cash flow (2.9%)

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
0.21
Conservative — low debt load (0.21)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
4.18x
Adequate interest coverage (4.2x)

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

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
N/M
no trend
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

Not applicable for this business.
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