SThree (LSE:STEM) Operating Income: £28 Mil (TTM As of Nov. 2025)


LSE:STEM SThree PLC LSE:STEM
56 GF Score
Price £1.65
GF Value £2.90
Valuation Significantly Undervalued
! 6 Warning Signs
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What is SThree Operating Income?

SThree LSE:STEM +0.86% 56 Operating Income is £28 Mil as of Nov. 2025. GuruFocus rates LSE:STEM with a GF Score™ of 56/100 and a GF Value™ of £2.90 (Significantly Undervalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review.

SThree's Operating Income for the six months ended in Nov. 2025 was £17 Mil. Its Operating Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Nov. 2025 was £28 Mil.

Operating Margin % is calculated as Operating Income divided by its Revenue. SThree's Operating Income for the six months ended in Nov. 2025 was £17 Mil. SThree's Revenue for the six months ended in Nov. 2025 was £653 Mil. Therefore, SThree's Operating Margin % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 was 2.53%.

Warning Sign:

SThree PLC operating margin has been in a 5-year decline. The average rate of decline per year is -4.4%.

SThree's 5-Year average Growth Rate for Operating Margin % was -4.40% per year.

Operating Income or EBIT is linked to Return on Capital for both regular definition and Joel Greenblatt's definition. SThree's annualized ROC % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 was 8.33%. SThree's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 was 21.23%.

SThree  (LSE:STEM) Operating Income Explanation

1. Operating Income or EBIT is linked to Return on Capital for both regular definition and Joel Greenblatt's definition.

SThree's annualized ROC % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 is calculated as:

ROC % (Q: Nov. 2025 )
=NOPAT/Average Invested Capital
=Operating Income * ( 1 - Tax Rate % )/( (Invested Capital (Q: May. 2025 ) + Invested Capital (Q: Nov. 2025 ))/ count )
=33.002 * ( 1 - 32.27% )/( (217.169 + 319.48)/ 2 )
=22.3522546/268.3245
=8.33 %

where

Invested Capital(Q: May. 2025 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=443.276 - 178.226 - ( 47.881 - max(0, 190.961 - 376.915+47.881))
=217.169

Invested Capital(Q: Nov. 2025 )
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - Excess Cash
=Total Assets - Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense - ( Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities - max(0, Total Current Liabilities - Total Current Assets+Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities))
=483.405 - 95.963 - ( 67.962 - max(0, 207.937 - 410.094+67.962))
=319.48

Note: The Operating Income data used here is two times the semi-annual (Nov. 2025) data.

2. Joel Greenblatt's definition of Return on Capital:

SThree's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 is calculated as:

ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %(Q: Nov. 2025 )
=EBIT/Average of (Net fixed Assets + Net Working Capital)
=EBIT/Average of (Property, Plant and Equipment+Net Working Capital)
     Q: May. 2025  Q: Nov. 2025
=EBIT/( ( (Property, Plant and Equipment + Net Working Capital) + (Property, Plant and Equipment + Net Working Capital) )/ count )
=33.222/( ( (49.708 + max(148.464, 0)) + (54.051 + max(60.732, 0)) )/ 2 )
=33.222/( ( 198.172 + 114.783 )/ 2 )
=33.222/156.4775
=21.23 %

where Working Capital is:

Working Capital(Q: May. 2025 )
=(Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Defer. Rev. + Other Current Liabilities)
=(328.554 + 0 + 0.48000000000008) - (178.226 + 0 + 2.344)
=148.464

Working Capital(Q: Nov. 2025 )
=(Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Defer. Rev. + Other Current Liabilities)
=(238.464 + 0 + 19.656) - (95.963 + 0 + 101.425)
=60.732

When net working capital is negative, 0 is used.

Note: The EBIT data used here is two times the semi-annual (Nov. 2025) EBIT data.

3. Operating Income is also linked to Operating Margin %:

SThree's Operating Margin % for the quarter that ended in Nov. 2025 is calculated as:

Operating Margin %=Operating Income (Q: Nov. 2025 )/Revenue (Q: Nov. 2025 )
=16.501/653.382
=2.53 %

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

4. Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the Operating Income growth rate using Operating Income per share data.

Be Aware

Compared with a company's EBITDA margin, Operating Margin can be manipulated by adjusting the rate of depreciation, depletion and amortization (DDA).

If a company is facing competition, its Operating Margin may decline. Often the Operating Margin declines well before the company's revenue or even profit decline. Therefore, Operating Margin is a very important indicator of whether the company is facing problems.

For instance, by 2012, Nokia (NOK)'s problems were well known and its stock had lost more than 90% of its market value since 2007. But Nokia's Operating Margin had already been in decline since 2002, although its earnings per share were still rising. Investors who paid attention to Operating Margin would have avoided this huge loss. The same can be said for Research-in-Motion (RIMM).

Therefore, Operating Margin is a very important screening filter for GuruFocus. GuruFocus's Buffett-Munger screener requires that the profit margin is either consistent or expanding. The Model Portfolio of the Buffett-Munger screener has outperformed the market every year since inception in 2009.

SThree Operating Income Related Terms

SThree Operating Income Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for SThree's Operating Income can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

SThree Operating Income Chart

SThree Annual Data
Trend Nov16 Nov17 Nov18 Nov19 Nov20 Nov21 Nov22 Nov23 Nov24 Nov25
Operating Income
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 63.57 84.01 84.74 65.09 27.65

SThree Semi-Annual Data
May16 Nov16 May17 Nov17 May18 Nov18 May19 Nov19 May20 Nov20 May21 Nov21 May22 Nov22 May23 Nov23 May24 Nov24 May25 Nov25
Operating Income Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 40.75 39.31 25.78 11.14 16.50
LSE:STEM
56GF Score
SThree PLC LSE:STEM
Operating Income is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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SThree Operating Income Calculation

Operating Income, is the profit a company earned through operations. All expenses, including cash expenses such as cost of goods sold (COGS), research & development, wages, and non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, depletion and amortization, have been deducted from the sales.

Operating Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Nov. 2025 adds up the semi-annually data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was £28 Mil.

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Operating Income →
What does a Operating Income of £28 Mil mean?
SThree (LSE:STEM) has a Operating Income of £28 Mil as of Nov. 2025. Operating Income equals sales less all operating expenses. It is linked to EBIT. View historical data on SThree and its competitors.
Is SThree's Operating Income too high?
SThree's current Operating Income is £28 Mil. Overall, SThree has a GF Score™ of 56/100 and is considered Significantly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SThree's Operating Income compare to KFY and RHI?
SThree's Operating Income of £28 Mil can be compared against companies in the Business Services industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Operating Income for a Business Services company?
A good Operating Income depends on the Business Services industry context. However, Operating Income should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Operating Income mean?
A high Operating Income can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Operating Income equals sales less all operating expenses. It is linked to EBIT. View historical data on SThree and its competitors. SThree's current Operating Income is £28 Mil. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SThree stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SThree (LSE:STEM) is currently considered Significantly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is £2.90, compared to a current price of £1.65 — trading 43.2% below its estimated fair value. The current Operating Income is £28 Mil. SThree's overall GF Score™ is 56/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Operating Income calculated?
Operating Income is calculated from a company's financial statements. For SThree (LSE:STEM), the current Operating Income is £28 Mil as of Nov. 2025. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is SThree (LSE:STEM) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SThree stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of £1.65 is trading 43.2% below its estimated GF Value™ of £2.90. GuruFocus considers SThree to be Significantly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for LSE:STEM:

  • Operating Income: £28 Mil
  • GF Value™: £2.90 vs. price of £1.65 (43.2% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 56/100 with 6 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the LSE:STEM stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.

SThree Business Description

Other Exchanges STEMl:UK
Address 8 Bishopsgate, Level 16, London, GBR, EC2N 4BQ
SThree PLC is involved in the staffing business. It provides contract and permanent recruitment services. The company operates in information and communication, engineering, energy, life sciences, banking, and finance sectors. It provides its service through various brands such as Progressive, Computer Futures, Real Staffing Group, and Huxley Associates. The company generated its revenue from DACH, Rest of Europe, Netherlands including Spain, USA, Middle East & Asia.
56GF Score

Get the complete analysis for LSE:STEM

Operating Income is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

£1.65
Price
£2.90
GF Value