Cass Information Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CASS)

Sector: Industrials Industry: Specialty Business Services CIK: 0000708781
Market Cap 681.75 Mn
P/B 3.40
P/E 28.37
P/S 5.82
ROIC (Qtr) 11.28
Div Yield % 2.10
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 7.60
Total Debt (Qtr) 0.00
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.00
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About

Cass Information Systems, Inc., with its ticker symbol CASS, is a company that operates in the payment and information processing services industry within the United States. The company's primary business activities involve providing services to large manufacturing, distribution, and retail enterprises, which include freight invoice rating, payment processing, auditing, and the generation of accounting and transportation information. Cass Information Systems operates through several segments, including Transportation Information Services, Utility...

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Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Operating cash flow of 51.22M provides strong 13.67x coverage of stock compensation 3.75M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 44.79M exceeds capital expenditure of 6.43M by 6.97x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Cash reserves of 258.63M provide ample 17.19x coverage of acquisition spending 15.05M, enabling strategic growth opportunities.
  • Strong free cash flow of 44.79M provides 2.98x coverage of acquisition spending 15.05M, indicating disciplined M&A strategy.
  • Retained earnings of 163.04M represent substantial 0.67x of equity 243.45M, indicating strong internal capital generation.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 51.22M barely covers its investment activities of (146.27M), with a coverage ratio of -0.35, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 51.22M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (16.57M) with a -3.09 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Free cash flow of 44.79M represents just 0.23x of debt issuance 194.67M, suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Retained earnings of 163.04M provide limited buffer against comprehensive income items of (29.43M), which is -5.54x, indicating elevated exposure to market risks.
  • Cash position of 258.63M provides weak coverage of payables of 1.13B, which is 0.23x, indicating potential working capital stress and supplier relationship risks.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Specialty Business Services
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 CTAS Cintas Corp 120.08 Bn 556.91 33.85 3.24 Bn
2 RELX Relx Plc 56.19 Bn 20.01 4.34 9.82 Bn
3 TRI Thomson Reuters Corp /Can/ 37.42 Bn 24.91 5.00 2.44 Bn
4 CPRT Copart Inc 36.25 Bn 22.74 7.79 0.10 Bn
5 RBA Rb Global Inc. 19.20 Bn 49.09 4.24 4.21 Bn
6 ULS UL Solutions Inc. 14.12 Bn 43.32 4.92 0.74 Bn
7 GPN Global Payments Inc 11.52 Bn 284.78 8.66 16.20 Bn
8 ARMK Aramark 10.37 Bn 32.72 0.55 6.57 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.18 2.48
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 12.72 30.22
EV to Debt EV to Debt 0.00 31.08
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 13.94 94.66
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 11.08 18.37
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 15.52 -20.73
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 0.65 178.66
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 3.78 8.12
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 3.40 5.37
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 28.37 65.19
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 1.90 -15,800.59
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 52.30 10.14
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 1.24 0.35
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 36.59 7.65
Interest Coverage Interest Coverage 0.00 30.46
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 51.62 -178.22
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 12.18 155.14
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 3.33 5.38
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 37.14 -34.92
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 14.25 -86.28
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 34.01 -22.62
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 34.01 -287.35
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 39.41 -118.47
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 206.71 -146.43
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 2.63 2.63
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.08 0.84
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.29 -0.03
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio 0.00 1.15
Current Ratio Current Ratio 0.00 4.12
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.00 0.92
Interest Cover Ratio Interest Cover Ratio 0.00 30.46
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned 0.00 30.46
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 24.80 -33.89
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 20.15 -43.32
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 20.15 -44.88
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 100.00 39.81
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 16.50 -41.60