- The trend backdrop is active with a 21-week active streak.
- Price is above the Trend Line, keeping the weekly tape constructive.
- Price is above Fair Value, showing premium demand versus the model.
- Activity pressure is constructive, supporting the smart-money activity read.
STO
ASX
Week ended 07 Aug 2026
Weekly Investor Report
Santos Limited · Energy · Oil & Gas E&P
Latest close
7.66 AUD
-2.3%
latest week
Weekly setup
Constructive, but selective
The weekly trend is active. Price is 2.5% above the Trend Line and sits at 76.5% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned -2.3%, after a 0.5% four-week move. The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth ranks weakly; valuation is expensive relative to peers. The latest news-sentiment score is 52/100.
Setup score
56
out of 100
Latest Close
7.66 AUD
7 Aug 2026
1W Return
-2.3%
latest completed week
4W Return
0.5%
short-term follow-through
12W Return
-2.8%
quarterly tape
Trend Breadth
55.8%
29 of 52 weeks active
Volume Ratio
1.2x
vs 13-week average
- Activity pressure is negative, which weakens the current setup.
- 4 reversal markers appear in the recent smart-money tape.
- Trend Line remains the key weekly regime level.
- Activity pressure is the gauge to monitor for confirmation or fade.
- A volume ratio above 1.5x would show stronger participation in the next move.
Price follow-through
-2.3%
Latest completed week; four-week move 0.5%.
Indicator stack
76/54
Trend and activity pressure are weighted against the latest 12-week confirmation window.
Trend backdrop
Active
The trend backdrop defines the current weekly regime.
Patient Capital
Quiet
Activity-pressure buy-signal status for institutional accumulation timing.
News sentiment
52/100
21 relevant articles in the latest sentiment read.
01 · Price action
Study the full chart
Where price is—and whether the trend supports it
The weekly trend is active. Price is 2.5% above the Trend Line and sits at 76.5% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned -2.3%, after a 0.5% four-week move.
52-week price path
Price vs Trend Line and Fair Value
Price
Trend Line
Fair Value
02 · Volume and demand
Is real participation confirming the move?
Latest weekly volume is 1.2x the 13-week average. Participation is around or above normal and provides reasonable confirmation.
26-week volume confirmation
Bar height shows volume; colour shows the weekly price direction
13 Feb
20 Feb
27 Feb
6 Mar
13 Mar
20 Mar
27 Mar
3 Apr
10 Apr
17 Apr
24 Apr
1 May
8 May
15 May
22 May
29 May
5 Jun
12 Jun
19 Jun
26 Jun
3 Jul
10 Jul
17 Jul
24 Jul
31 Jul
7 Aug
Up week
Down week
Demand beneath price
Activity pressure and institutional-style signals
These indicators assess whether participation is improving beneath the headline price move. They are supporting evidence, not proof of institutional buying.
Activity pressure path
Latest 0.6612-week average 0.81
12-week confirmation
Trend active12/12Active trend-backdrop weeks in the latest 12-week window.
Positive pressure3/12Weeks with constructive activity pressure in the latest 12-week window.
Positive leadership11/12Weeks with positive relative leadership in the latest 12-week window.
Activity pressure0.66Current proprietary activity-pressure read.
Buy signals0Accumulation signal count in the latest 12 weeks.
Reversal markers44 reversal markers
No recent accumulation markers. 4 reversal markers.
03 · Momentum and leadership
Is performance persistent—and is the stock leading?
Performance is 0.5% over four weeks, -2.8% over 12 weeks, and 1.9% over one year. The current trend has remained active for 21 consecutive weeks.
Performance by holding period
Active trend streak21 weeks
Active weeks in one year29
Trend breadth55.8%
Activity pressure vs relative leadership
Activity pressureRelative leadership
Pressure-0.17Latest activity-pressure read.
Pressure change82.9%Four-week change in activity pressure.
Leadership2.69Latest relative-leadership reading.
RS change-64.7%Four-week change in relative leadership.
04 · Fundamentals and valuation
Open full factor analysis
What investors are paying for—and the quality behind it
The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth ranks weakly; valuation is expensive relative to peers.
Factor week 09 Aug 2026
Financial statements through 31 Dec 2025
Field coverage 85%
Model confidence 68%
Relative factor standing
Higher display scores are better. Each score is converted from the underlying universe rank, where rank 1 is best.
Overall factor strength48/100Blend of value, momentum, and quality. Underlying universe rank 53; rank 1 is best.
Value15/100Relative valuation strength. Underlying universe rank 86; rank 1 is best.
Quality83/100Profitability and accounting quality. Underlying universe rank 18; rank 1 is best.
Momentum83/100Medium-term price momentum. Underlying universe rank 18; rank 1 is best.
Growth2/100Revenue and earnings growth. Underlying universe rank 99; rank 1 is best.
Quality and valuation are separate questions
A strong company can still carry a demanding valuation. This report shows profitability, growth, balance-sheet strength, and the price paid for those characteristics separately.
Value-quality framework18/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.
Valuation
How much investors are paying for earnings, sales, and cash flow.
- P/E
- 30.4x Price divided by trailing earnings.
- Price / sales
- 5.0x Market value relative to trailing revenue.
- EV / EBITDA
- 9.3x Enterprise value relative to operating cash earnings.
- Free-cash-flow yield
- 2.5% Free cash flow as a share of enterprise value.
Business quality
Margins and the return generated on invested capital.
- Gross margin
- 69.7% Gross profit retained from each unit of revenue.
- Operating margin
- 23.8% Operating profit retained from revenue.
- Free-cash-flow margin
- 15.3% Free cash flow generated from revenue.
- Return on invested capital
- 4.1% Operating return generated on invested capital.
Growth and financial strength
Recent business growth and accounting strength.
- Revenue growth
- -8.4% Latest one-year revenue growth.
- EPS growth
- -33.2% Latest one-year earnings-per-share growth.
- Free-cash-flow growth
- 68.6% Latest one-year free-cash-flow growth.
- Piotroski F-score
- 4/9 Nine-point accounting-strength checklist.
Shareholder return and balance sheet
Cash returned to owners and financial leverage.
- Dividend yield
- 4.6% Cash dividends relative to market value.
- Buyback yield
- 0.1% Net share repurchases relative to market value.
- Shareholder yield
- 4.7% Dividend yield plus net buyback yield.
- Net debt / EBITDA
- 1.8x Balance-sheet debt relative to operating cash earnings.
05 · Ownership, options, and sentiment
What other market participants are doing
Options, insider transactions, market sentiment, and activity-pressure signals can confirm or challenge the price story. None should be used alone.
Insider activity-
No recent insider transactions are stored for this company.
News sentiment52/100
Weighted news tone is neutral across 21 relevant articles.
8 positive · 9 neutral · 4 negativePatient CapitalQuiet
Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.
No recent buy signal
06 · Catalysts and risk
What can move the shares—and how volatile the path has been
Event timing, options-implied movement, drawdown, and weekly return distribution frame the risk around the current setup.
Next earnings-No event is currently stored.
Options expected move-Nearest-chain priced movement where available.
52-week drawdown-7.0%Distance below the 52-week high.
13-week volatility4.4%Standard deviation of weekly returns.
Weekly gains and losses
Latest 26 completed weeksEach bar is one week. Gains rise above the zero line; losses fall below it. Taller bars mean a larger weekly move.
13 Feb
13 Mar
10 Apr
8 May
5 Jun
3 Jul
7 Aug
Weeks higher14 of 2612 weeks finished lower.
Best week+10.4%Week of 6 Mar.
Worst week-9.5%Week of 19 Jun.
Latest week-2.3%Week of 7 Aug.
Shape of recent returns
Strong gains5
Modest gains9
Flat weeks0
Modest losses9
Sharp losses3
Recent vol4.4%13-week weekly-return volatility.
Base vol4.1%52-week weekly-return volatility.
Up/down split27/24Count of positive and negative weeks in the 52-week window.
Average skew3.2% / -3.3%Average positive week versus average negative week.
07 · Sector and peer context
Is this stock leading—or simply moving with its group?
Sector and industry breadth distinguish company-specific strength from a broad group move.
SectorAU Energy
4-week rank42 / 100
Group average-2.9%
Trend breadth15.0%
Trend15.0%active weekly trend signals
MD25.0%positive activity pressure
RS20.0%positive relative leadership
Four-week leaders
IndustryAU Oil & Gas E&P
4-week rank29 / 70
Group average-2.7%
Trend breadth14.3%
Trend14.3%active weekly trend signals
MD25.7%positive activity pressure
RS18.6%positive relative leadership
Four-week leaders
08 · Evidence and weekly data
The underlying research record
Every top-level statement above should be traceable to a stored market, fundamental, event, or positioning observation.
Weekly tape58/100
Trend, activity pressure, participation, and risk combine to a 58/100 tape read.
Indicator analysis60/100Latest 12-week confirmation: trend 12/12, activity pressure 3/12, relative leadership 11/12.
Activity pressure 0.66; 4 reversal markers Factors56/100O'Shaughnessy factor stack blends value, quality, momentum, and confidence.
Buyback Yield rank 10 SVQF18/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.
Composite rank 210.5 of 257 Patient CapitalQuietActivity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.
No recent buy signal Sentiment52/100Weighted news tone is neutral across 21 relevant articles.
Santos (ASX:STO) Shares Declined Alongside the Energy Sector—Here's What Investors Are Watching Insiders50/100No recent insider transaction evidence is stored.
Earnings50/100No stored earnings event is currently attached to this ticker.
| Week | Close | Return | Trend Line | Fair Value | Pressure | Leadership | Volume | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Aug 2026 | 7.66 AUD | -2.3% | 7.47 AUD | 6.77 AUD | -0.17 | 2.69 | 47.3M | On |
| 31 Jul 2026 | 7.84 AUD | -1.6% | 7.42 AUD | 6.76 AUD | -0.18 | 8.39 | 67.1M | On |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 7.97 AUD | 3.8% | 7.36 AUD | 6.75 AUD | -0.48 | 12.78 | 62.7M | On |
| 17 Jul 2026 | 7.68 AUD | 0.8% | 7.29 AUD | 6.75 AUD | -0.81 | 8.51 | 60.6M | On |
| 10 Jul 2026 | 7.62 AUD | 7.3% | 7.23 AUD | 6.74 AUD | -0.99 | 7.61 | 56.9M | On |
| 3 Jul 2026 | 7.10 AUD | -0.6% | 7.18 AUD | 6.73 AUD | -0.98 | -0.14 | 6.1M | On |
| 26 Jun 2026 | 7.14 AUD | -2.2% | 7.16 AUD | 6.73 AUD | -0.75 | 1.23 | 10.5M | On |
| 19 Jun 2026 | 7.30 AUD | -9.5% | 7.13 AUD | 6.72 AUD | -0.50 | 2.63 | 18.5M | On |
| 12 Jun 2026 | 8.07 AUD | 3.2% | 7.09 AUD | 6.72 AUD | -0.07 | 13.68 | 7.6M | On |
| 5 Jun 2026 | 7.82 AUD | 0.1% | 7.04 AUD | 6.71 AUD | 0.08 | 12.82 | 35.9M | On |
| 29 May 2026 | 7.81 AUD | -5.2% | 6.99 AUD | 6.70 AUD | 0.16 | 11.75 | 24.2M | On |
| 22 May 2026 | 8.24 AUD | 4.6% | 6.93 AUD | 6.69 AUD | 0.46 | 19.35 | 74.7M | On |
| 15 May 2026 | 7.88 AUD | 4.8% | 6.87 AUD | 6.68 AUD | 0.50 | 15.09 | 44.5M | On |
| 8 May 2026 | 7.52 AUD | -6.2% | 6.81 AUD | 6.67 AUD | 0.68 | 8.87 | 50.3M | On |
How to use this report
This is a completed-week research summary. It explains the available evidence and its conflicts; it does not predict a guaranteed outcome or replace your own risk assessment. Fundamental figures may refer to an earlier financial reporting period, which is shown above.