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U.K. (FTSE) Materials Sector Analysis

UpdatedApr 05, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies156
  • 7D6.8%
  • 3M12.3%
  • 1Y87.3%
  • YTD15.4%

The Materials industry is up 6.8% in the last week, with Rio Tinto Group up 8.5%. Meanwhile, Ferrexpo actually underperformed within the industry, shrinking 24% in the last week. This takes the industry's 12 month performance to a gain of 87%. Earnings are forecast to grow by 18% annually.

Sector Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Materials Sector valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 05 Apr 2026UK£315.3bUK£291.6bUK£9.1b18.2x34.5x1.1x
Tue, 03 Mar 2026UK£341.1bUK£285.7bUK£8.3b23.6x41x1.2x
Thu, 29 Jan 2026UK£316.7bUK£270.1bUK£6.2b23.9x51.3x1.2x
Sat, 27 Dec 2025UK£272.4bUK£275.4bUK£6.3b19.7x43.2x1x
Mon, 24 Nov 2025UK£231.8bUK£282.8bUK£6.5b17.2x35.7x0.8x
Wed, 22 Oct 2025UK£237.0bUK£277.3bUK£6.8b16.8x34.7x0.9x
Fri, 19 Sep 2025UK£211.6bUK£274.4bUK£6.7b15.8x31.5x0.8x
Sun, 17 Aug 2025UK£200.0bUK£273.9bUK£6.8b20.2x29.5x0.7x
Tue, 15 Jul 2025UK£197.7bUK£275.4bUK£6.8b15.3x28.9x0.7x
Thu, 12 Jun 2025UK£192.7bUK£273.1bUK£6.8b15.1x28.2x0.7x
Sat, 10 May 2025UK£188.3bUK£277.4bUK£7.1b16x26.5x0.7x
Mon, 07 Apr 2025UK£171.2bUK£285.9bUK£7.3b14.1x23.5x0.6x
Wed, 05 Mar 2025UK£200.0bUK£287.4bUK£7.3b13.9x27.3x0.7x
Fri, 31 Jan 2025UK£213.3bUK£299.1bUK£9.2b15.6x23.2x0.7x
Sun, 29 Dec 2024UK£209.8bUK£296.3bUK£9.1b15.8x23x0.7x
Tue, 26 Nov 2024UK£222.1bUK£298.7bUK£8.9b16.6x24.9x0.7x
Thu, 24 Oct 2024UK£225.2bUK£291.9bUK£8.8b17x25.7x0.8x
Sat, 21 Sep 2024UK£215.5bUK£284.6bUK£8.5b16.8x25.2x0.8x
Mon, 19 Aug 2024UK£219.2bUK£291.5bUK£8.7b15.4x25.1x0.8x
Wed, 17 Jul 2024UK£237.4bUK£284.2bUK£13.5b15.7x17.6x0.8x
Fri, 14 Jun 2024UK£238.6bUK£289.1bUK£13.7b15.4x17.5x0.8x
Sun, 12 May 2024UK£255.9bUK£295.5bUK£14.0b16.7x18.3x0.9x
Tue, 09 Apr 2024UK£237.9bUK£292.9bUK£14.0b14.4x17x0.8x
Thu, 07 Mar 2024UK£214.8bUK£291.8bUK£13.9b11.6x15.4x0.7x
Sat, 03 Feb 2024UK£236.7bUK£349.5bUK£29.4b10.4x8.1x0.7x
Mon, 01 Jan 2024UK£254.9bUK£347.3bUK£29.2b10.4x8.7x0.7x
Wed, 29 Nov 2023UK£241.2bUK£348.9bUK£29.3b10.4x8.2x0.7x
Fri, 27 Oct 2023UK£261.4bUK£390.5bUK£32.7b10x8x0.7x
Sun, 24 Sep 2023UK£270.2bUK£387.3bUK£32.5b10x8.3x0.7x
Tue, 22 Aug 2023UK£251.6bUK£374.6bUK£31.7b10x7.9x0.7x
Thu, 20 Jul 2023UK£274.8bUK£397.5bUK£43.1b10x6.4x0.7x
Sat, 17 Jun 2023UK£281.4bUK£399.0bUK£43.2b10.3x6.5x0.7x
Mon, 15 May 2023UK£267.3bUK£406.9bUK£44.2b10x6x0.7x
Wed, 12 Apr 2023UK£289.4bUK£408.1bUK£44.4b10x6.5x0.7x
Price to Earnings Ratio

6.5x


Total Market Cap: UK£289.4bTotal Earnings: UK£44.4bTotal Revenue: UK£408.1bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Materials Sector Price to Earnings3Y Average 21.8x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Materials industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 34.5x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 21.8x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 0.77x is lower than the industry's current PS ratio of 1.1x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Materials industry have declined 41% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 11% per year.
  • This means overall sales from these companies are declining and profits are subsequently falling as well.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Materials sector?

GB Market4.54%
Materials6.81%
Metals and Mining7.14%
Basic Materials2.25%
Chemicals2.02%
Paper and Forestry Products0.66%
Packaging-0.86%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Metals and Mining industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 21.7x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 17.7%, which is lower than the prior year's growth of 126.8% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Paper and Forestry Products industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 33% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 24% per year.
  • In contrast, the Packaging industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 4.0% 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
RIO Rio Tinto GroupUK£71.028.5%
+UK£9.1b		67.5%PE15.3x
GLEN GlencoreUK£5.644.7%
+UK£3.0b		137.9%PE240x
AAL Anglo AmericanUK£33.088.1%
+UK£2.6b		59.0%PS2.5x
FRES FresnilloUK£34.368.2%
+UK£1.9b		317.8%PE24.1x
ANTO AntofagastaUK£34.575.8%
+UK£1.9b		144.1%PE33.8x

Latest News

PAF
UK£1.48
Pan African Resources
7D
12.3%
1Y
275.6%

PAF: Production Delivery And Higher Quality Earnings Will Support Re Rating Potential

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Pan African Resources from about £1.75 to roughly £1.71 per share, reflecting a slightly higher discount rate, modestly softer revenue growth assumptions and a lower projected profit margin, even though the future P/E expectation edges up. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Pan African Resources points to a mix of optimism and caution, with price targets adjusted and underlying assumptions refined rather than completely overhauled.
FXPO
UK£0.37
Ferrexpo
7D
-23.6%
1Y
-23.1%
RIO
UK£71.02
Rio Tinto Group
7D
8.5%
1Y
67.5%

RIO: Cautious Outlook As Copper And Iron Ore Assumptions Turn More Conservative

Analysts have raised the fair value estimate for Rio Tinto Group to £58.52 from £41.00. This change reflects updated views on revenue growth, profit margins and sector valuation following a series of mixed price target revisions and rating downgrades across the Street.
ANTO
UK£34.57
Antofagasta
7D
5.8%
1Y
144.1%

ANTO: Copper Upswing And Centinela Expansion Will Support Medium Term Earnings Power

Antofagasta's analyst fair value estimate has shifted from £40.28 to £47.82, as analysts balance higher assumed revenue growth with lower profit margins and a mixed series of recent target changes and rating moves across the Street. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Antofagasta shows a mix of upgrades, downgrades and price target resets, with views split on valuation, risk and execution.
GLEN
UK£5.64
Glencore
7D
4.7%
1Y
137.9%

GLEN: Fair Outlook Balances Ended Megamerger Talks And Evolving Earnings Expectations

Glencore's analyst price target has shifted within a relatively tight range, with moves such as JPMorgan trimming its view to £4.60 and Berenberg nudging its target to £6.00. Analysts are reassessing fair value using slightly lower discount rates, modestly different revenue growth assumptions, and small adjustments to expected profit margins and future P/E.
SML
UK£0.039
Strategic Minerals
7D
-4.9%
1Y
940.0%
GMET
UK£2.85
Guardian Metal Resources
7D
15.9%
1Y
603.7%
HOC
UK£6.17
Hochschild Mining
7D
7.8%
1Y
145.6%

HOC: Higher Margins And 2026 Production Guidance Will Support Bullish Repricing

The updated analyst price target for Hochschild Mining rises by £0.32, supported by analysts citing a higher assumed profit margin and a lower future P/E multiple, while they also apply a slightly higher discount rate and temper revenue growth assumptions. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Hochschild Mining shows a series of price target changes and rating shifts that give you a sense of how views are evolving around valuation, growth prospects and execution risk.
FMET
UK£0.087
Fulcrum Metals
7D
-12.5%
1Y
84.2%
AAL
UK£33.08
Anglo American
7D
8.1%
1Y
59.0%
FRES
UK£34.36
Fresnillo
7D
8.2%
1Y
317.8%
DCTA
UK£0.055
Directa Plus
7D
-35.3%
1Y
-12.0%
HREE
UK£0.031
Harena Rare Earths
7D
-7.7%
1Y
100.0%
CRTM
UK£0.075
Critical Metals
7D
-21.1%
1Y
-23.1%
CTL
UK£0.085
CleanTech Lithium
7D
-14.1%
1Y
-8.1%
EUA
UK£0.028
Eurasia Mining
7D
-6.7%
1Y
-28.7%