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U.K. (FTSE) Food Industry Analysis

UpdatedApr 05, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies18
  • 7D2.9%
  • 3M-5.2%
  • 1Y2.1%
  • YTD-4.7%

In the last week, the Food industry is up 2.9%, with Associated British Foods up 2.8%. Despite this gain, the industry's performance has been flat over the past year. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 9.7% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Food Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 05 Apr 2026UK£25.4bUK£36.8bUK£1.8b13x13.9x0.7x
Tue, 03 Mar 2026UK£26.6bUK£36.7bUK£1.8b13.6x14.8x0.7x
Thu, 29 Jan 2026UK£26.1bUK£36.7bUK£1.8b13.1x14.5x0.7x
Sat, 27 Dec 2025UK£27.2bUK£39.1bUK£1.8b16.2x14.8x0.7x
Mon, 24 Nov 2025UK£26.9bUK£38.7bUK£1.8b14.6x15.1x0.7x
Wed, 22 Oct 2025UK£26.8bUK£38.8bUK£2.1b15.3x12.9x0.7x
Fri, 19 Sep 2025UK£25.8bUK£38.7bUK£2.1b15.3x12.4x0.7x
Sun, 17 Aug 2025UK£28.4bUK£38.5bUK£2.0b19.2x14.1x0.7x
Tue, 15 Jul 2025UK£26.9bUK£38.5bUK£2.0b18.5x13.5x0.7x
Thu, 12 Jun 2025UK£26.6bUK£38.8bUK£2.1b18.6x12.5x0.7x
Sat, 10 May 2025UK£27.2bUK£38.4bUK£2.2b16.4x12.4x0.7x
Mon, 07 Apr 2025UK£24.9bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b14.7x11.5x0.7x
Wed, 05 Mar 2025UK£24.6bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b14.4x11.4x0.6x
Fri, 31 Jan 2025UK£25.4bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b12x11.8x0.7x
Sun, 29 Dec 2024UK£26.5bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b13.1x12.3x0.7x
Tue, 26 Nov 2024UK£28.3bUK£38.3bUK£2.2b12.1x12.9x0.7x
Thu, 24 Oct 2024UK£29.0bUK£38.2bUK£1.9b14.5x15.3x0.8x
Sat, 21 Sep 2024UK£27.5bUK£38.1bUK£1.9b14x14.6x0.7x
Mon, 19 Aug 2024UK£29.2bUK£38.3bUK£1.9b14.1x15.6x0.8x
Wed, 17 Jul 2024UK£30.9bUK£41.7bUK£2.3b13.7x13.2x0.7x
Fri, 14 Jun 2024UK£31.2bUK£41.8bUK£2.3b14.8x13.3x0.7x
Sun, 12 May 2024UK£32.3bUK£41.4bUK£2.4b15.1x13.5x0.8x
Tue, 09 Apr 2024UK£27.8bUK£38.3bUK£1.8b17x15.6x0.7x
Thu, 07 Mar 2024UK£26.5bUK£38.3bUK£1.8b13.8x15.2x0.7x
Sat, 03 Feb 2024UK£28.5bUK£41.8bUK£2.2b15.2x12.9x0.7x
Mon, 01 Jan 2024UK£29.2bUK£41.9bUK£2.2b15.7x13.2x0.7x
Wed, 29 Nov 2023UK£29.2bUK£41.9bUK£2.2b16.7x13.2x0.7x
Fri, 27 Oct 2023UK£24.9bUK£40.2bUK£1.4b19.7x18.3x0.6x
Sun, 24 Sep 2023UK£26.4bUK£40.0bUK£1.4b18.4x19.4x0.7x
Tue, 22 Aug 2023UK£25.4bUK£40.0bUK£1.4b13.6x18x0.6x
Thu, 20 Jul 2023UK£26.7bUK£40.6bUK£1.3b14.1x20.8x0.7x
Sat, 17 Jun 2023UK£25.5bUK£40.5bUK£1.3b14.9x19.8x0.6x
Mon, 15 May 2023UK£25.7bUK£39.8bUK£1.1b14.3x24x0.6x
Wed, 12 Apr 2023UK£25.9bUK£38.0bUK£1.0b14x25.1x0.7x
Price to Earnings Ratio

25.1x


Total Market Cap: UK£25.9bTotal Earnings: UK£1.0bTotal Revenue: UK£38.0bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Food Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 14.9x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are relatively neutral on the British Food industry at the moment, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates to remain steady.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PE ratio of 14.9x.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 0.70x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Food industry have grown 21% per year over the last three years, while revenues have remained mostly flat.
  • This means that companies overall are more efficiently conducting business since profits are increasing while sales have been flat.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Consumer Staples industry?

GB Market4.54%
Consumer Staples-0.56%
Food2.85%
Agricultural Products6.20%
Packaged Foods and Meats2.60%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Packaged Foods and Meats industry even though it's trading below its 3-year average PE ratio of 16.3x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 10.8%, which is lower than the prior year's growth of 22.6% per year.
  • Investors are most pessimistic about the Agricultural Products industry, although it looks like investor sentiment has improved given that it's trading above its 3-year average of 9.7x.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Packaged Foods and Meats industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 11% over the next 5 years.
  • However this is lower than its past earnings growth rate of 23% per year.
  • In contrast, the Agricultural Products industry is expected to see its earnings decline by 5.9% per year over the next few years.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
ABF Associated British FoodsUK£18.912.8%
+UK£355.9m		-2.6%PE13x
AEP AEP PlantationsUK£18.0011.5%
+UK£71.0m		144.6%PE10.3x
CWK CranswickUK£52.502.3%
+UK£64.9m		9.5%PE19x
PFD Premier FoodsUK£1.873.3%
+UK£50.6m		0.3%PE12.2x
HFG Hilton Food GroupUK£5.299.8%
+UK£42.3m		-38.3%PE10.3x

Latest News

HFG
UK£5.29
Hilton Food Group
7D
9.8%
1Y
-38.3%
ABF
UK£18.91
Associated British Foods
7D
2.8%
1Y
-2.6%

ABF: Margin Reset And Primark Stabilisation Will Support Future Share Upside

The analyst fair value estimate for Associated British Foods has edged up from £22.40 to £22.50 as analysts factor in recent price target cuts, citing weaker Primark sales trends, concerns about a margin reset, and softer sugar pricing, despite only modest tweaks to underlying growth and margin assumptions. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research has turned more cautious on Associated British Foods, with several price target cuts and rating downgrades clustering around concerns on Primark, margins and sugar pricing.
MPE
UK£15.10
M.P. Evans Group
7D
3.8%
1Y
53.5%

MPE: Progressive Dividend Policy Will Support Future Shareholder Returns

Analysts have lifted their price target for M.P. Evans Group to £16.66 from £15.27, citing updated assumptions that combine a higher discount rate and P/E multiple with slightly stronger margin expectations and softer revenue growth forecasts. What's in the News The board of M.P. Evans Group is recommending a final dividend of 42 pence per share for the year ended 31 December 2025, compared with 37.5 pence per share a year earlier (Key Developments).
GNC
UK£2.44
Greencore Group
7D
1.2%
1Y
37.5%

GNC: Bullish View Sees Undemanding P/E Supporting Future Upside Potential

Analysts have maintained their fair value estimate for Greencore Group in line with prior forecasts while updating their price target, citing Berenberg's recent initiation with a bullish view. This reflects confidence in the company's earnings profile and valuation metrics, including the assumed future P/E of 7.66x.
AEP
UK£18.00
AEP Plantations
7D
11.5%
1Y
144.6%
CAM
UK£48.80
Camellia
7D
-0.8%
1Y
9.2%
WYN
UK£3.45
Wynnstay Group
7D
-2.0%
1Y
17.9%
CWK
UK£52.50
Cranswick
7D
2.3%
1Y
9.5%
PFD
UK£1.87
Premier Foods
7D
3.3%
1Y
0.3%
MHPC
US$8.04
MHP
7D
3.1%
1Y
63.7%

MHP SE's (LON:MHPC) Share Price Boosted 26% But Its Business Prospects Need A Lift Too

Jan 29
MHP SE's (LON:MHPC) Share Price Boosted 26% But Its Business Prospects Need A Lift Too
UKR
UK£0.072
Ukrproduct Group
7D
-0.7%
1Y
121.5%
SALT
UK£0.47
MicroSalt
7D
-4.1%
1Y
-16.1%