# The Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust plc (SST.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Financial Services / Capital Markets. Price 278p, market value 309 millionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): n/a** (negative earnings). The Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust plc reported negative earnings over the last twelve months, so the P/E is not meaningful; use price-to-sales, EV/EBITDA and free-cash-flow yield instead.
- **Price / sales: 3.5×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 3.5×.
- **Price / book: 0.9×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 12.1×**. Enterprise value is 12.1× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 3.8%** (5-yr avg 0.0%). Free cash flow equals 3.8% of the market value, above its five-year average of 0.0%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 94.5%**. The Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust plc keeps 94.5% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, the kind of margin that comes with software, brands or pricing power.
- **Operating margin: 31.8%**. 31.8% of revenue is left after running the business, an exceptional level.
- **Net margin: -16.4%**. The company reported a net loss over the last twelve months.
- **Return on equity: -2.1%**. Return on equity is negative because earnings are negative.
- **Return on invested capital: 5.3%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 5.3%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 4.7%**. Each dollar of assets produces 4.7% of profit; low single digits are normal for banks and insurers.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 30.2%** (3-yr -5.9%/yr). Revenue grew 30.2% over the last year.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -113.2%**. Earnings per share fell 113.2%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 0.7%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 0.7% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.
- **Cash and short-term investments: 7 millionp**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend: none**. The Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust plc does not currently pay a dividend, but it returned 5.6% of its market value through buybacks over the last year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -5.1%** (YTD 3.2%, 3-mo 7.5%). The shares are down 5.1% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -7.9%** (15.8% above the low). Trading 8% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 67**. An RSI of 67 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.36** (volatility 19%). Beta of 0.36 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=SST.L · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/sst.l

Not investment advice.