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Softcat

SCT.L
67
Information Technology Services · Technology
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
67
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jan 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Exceptional
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Good
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Mixed

Winston Score History

The full picture

Softcat is a UK-based technology reseller that helps businesses and public sector organisations buy and manage IT products and services. It sells hardware like laptops and servers, software licences, and cloud services from major vendors such as Microsoft, Cisco, and HP. Softcat acts as the middleman between these big technology brands and thousands of customers who need IT solutions but prefer not to deal directly with manufacturers.

Softcat makes money by earning a margin on the products and services it resells, plus fees for managed services and IT consultancy. It operates almost entirely in the UK and Ireland, generating roughly £2 billion in annual revenue, and has built a strong position through deep vendor relationships and a large, specialist salesforce that is difficult for smaller rivals to replicate. The main growth driver is continued IT spending by UK businesses and public sector bodies, though the business faces risk if corporate budgets tighten or if vendors choose to sell more directly to end customers, cutting out resellers.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

+53.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

EPS Growth

+13.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady EPS growth

Insider Activity

33.1%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

£206M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

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

Revenue accelerating

Softcat grew revenue 54% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

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.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
32.0%
Modest — 32.0% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
11.2%
Modest — 11.2% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
69.8%
Exceptional — 69.8% 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
+68.1%
Fast-growing sales (+68.1% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+12.7%
Earnings growing (+12.7% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
7/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
144%
Turns 144% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
11.0%
Modest free cash flow (11.0%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
82.73x
Comfortably covers interest (82.7x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
28.8x
no trend
Growth-priced — P/E 28.8

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+7.0
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (28.8 → 21.8)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
2.31%
no trend
Moderate income — 2.31% yield

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

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
+1.2%
no trend
Dividend flat

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