Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (PPHC) stock analysis

P/E against its history

Not enough price and earnings history to compare.

P/E against the industry

Needs positive earnings and enough profitable companies in the industry.

EV/EBITDA against its history

Needs positive EBITDA and price history.

P/B above the industry

Public Policy's price-to-book of 2.84 is above the Management and Public Relations Services median of 2.31.

Trading above fair value

The share price of $11.11 is above our fair value estimate of $7.42.

Margin of safety under 20%

The price is 49.8% above fair value, so there is no margin of safety.

Revenue growth over 3 years

Needs three years of positive revenue.

EPS growth over 3 years

Needs positive EPS three years ago and today.

Earnings acceleration

Needs positive net income now, a year ago and five years ago.

Growth against the industry

Needs revenue for this year and last.

Guidance issued

The latest outlook (full year 2026 Revenue, Aug 10, 2026) was issued for the first time, so it neither adds nor takes away points.

Gross margin trend

This company does not report gross profit.

Return on equity

Needs positive equity and five years of results.

Return on capital under 10%

Return on invested capital was -24.9%, below the 10% that usually covers the cost of capital.

Return on equity below the industry

Public Policy's return on equity of -30.3% is below the Management and Public Relations Services median of 0.4%.

Earnings over 5 years

Needs positive net income five years ago and in the latest year.

Net margin against its history

Needs five years of revenue and net income.

Net margin below the industry

Public Policy's net margin of -14.6% is below the Management and Public Relations Services median of 0.2%.

Low debt

Debt is 33.7% of shareholders' equity, under the 40% we consider low.

Debt trend

Needs a balance sheet from five years ago with positive equity.

Debt not well covered by cash flow

Operating cash flow over the last twelve months equals -4.4% of total debt; we look for at least 20%.

Interest not well covered

Operating income covers interest expense -11.9 times; we look for at least 5.

Short-term assets cover short-term debts

Current assets are 1.17 times current liabilities.

Elevated bankruptcy risk

The Altman Z-score is 0.77; above 3 is the safe zone and below 1.8 the distress zone.

Pays a dividend

Public Policy paid dividends worth 3.2% of the share price over the last twelve months.

Yield below Treasuries

The 3.2% yield is below the 4.4% on a 1-year Treasury.

Yield below the top quarter

The top quarter of US dividend payers yield 3.8% or more; Public Policy yields 3.2%.

Dividend stability

Fewer than five years of dividend history.

Earnings cover

Needs dividends paid and net income.

Cash-flow cover

Needs dividends paid and free cash flow.