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U.K. (FTSE) Food Industry Analysis

UpdatedFeb 28, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies18
  • 7D0.3%
  • 3M-1.1%
  • 1Y5.6%
  • YTD-0.2%

Over the last 7 days, the Food industry has remained flat, although notably Tate & Lyle declined by 6.0%. The past year has been better, since the industry has gained 5.6% in that time. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 9.8% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sat, 28 Feb 2026UK£26.6bUK£36.7bUK£1.8b13.6x14.8x0.7x
Mon, 26 Jan 2026UK£25.6bUK£36.7bUK£1.8b13x14.2x0.7x
Wed, 24 Dec 2025UK£27.2bUK£39.1bUK£1.8b16.4x14.8x0.7x
Fri, 21 Nov 2025UK£26.7bUK£38.7bUK£1.8b14.6x15x0.7x
Sun, 19 Oct 2025UK£27.0bUK£38.8bUK£2.1b15.1x13x0.7x
Tue, 16 Sep 2025UK£25.8bUK£38.7bUK£2.1b15.4x12.4x0.7x
Thu, 14 Aug 2025UK£28.7bUK£38.5bUK£2.0b19.4x14.3x0.7x
Sat, 12 Jul 2025UK£26.6bUK£38.5bUK£2.0b18.4x13.3x0.7x
Mon, 09 Jun 2025UK£26.9bUK£38.8bUK£2.1b18x12.6x0.7x
Wed, 07 May 2025UK£26.3bUK£38.4bUK£2.2b16.1x12x0.7x
Fri, 04 Apr 2025UK£25.5bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b15x11.8x0.7x
Sun, 02 Mar 2025UK£24.9bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b14.5x11.6x0.7x
Tue, 28 Jan 2025UK£25.2bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b12.2x11.7x0.7x
Thu, 26 Dec 2024UK£26.6bUK£38.2bUK£2.2b13.5x12.3x0.7x
Sat, 23 Nov 2024UK£28.2bUK£38.3bUK£2.1b12.1x13.1x0.7x
Mon, 21 Oct 2024UK£29.4bUK£38.2bUK£1.9b14.7x15.5x0.8x
Wed, 18 Sep 2024UK£27.7bUK£38.1bUK£1.9b14.2x14.7x0.7x
Fri, 16 Aug 2024UK£29.4bUK£38.3bUK£1.9b14x15.7x0.8x
Sun, 14 Jul 2024UK£31.2bUK£41.7bUK£2.3b13.7x13.3x0.7x
Tue, 11 Jun 2024UK£31.7bUK£41.8bUK£2.3b15x13.5x0.8x
Thu, 09 May 2024UK£32.3bUK£41.5bUK£2.4b15.2x13.5x0.8x
Sat, 06 Apr 2024UK£27.8bUK£38.3bUK£1.8b17.2x15.6x0.7x
Mon, 04 Mar 2024UK£26.4bUK£38.3bUK£1.7b16.3x15.4x0.7x
Wed, 31 Jan 2024UK£29.5bUK£41.8bUK£2.2b15.7x13.3x0.7x
Fri, 29 Dec 2023UK£29.3bUK£41.8bUK£2.2b15.8x13.3x0.7x
Sun, 26 Nov 2023UK£29.2bUK£41.9bUK£2.2b16.9x13.2x0.7x
Tue, 24 Oct 2023UK£24.9bUK£40.2bUK£1.4b19.6x18.3x0.6x
Thu, 21 Sep 2023UK£26.6bUK£40.0bUK£1.4b17.6x19.4x0.7x
Sat, 19 Aug 2023UK£25.4bUK£40.0bUK£1.4b13.7x18x0.6x
Mon, 17 Jul 2023UK£26.2bUK£40.6bUK£1.3b14.4x20.5x0.6x
Wed, 14 Jun 2023UK£25.2bUK£40.5bUK£1.3b15.2x19.5x0.6x
Fri, 12 May 2023UK£25.7bUK£39.7bUK£1.1b14.3x24x0.6x
Sun, 09 Apr 2023UK£25.8bUK£38.0bUK£1.0b14x25x0.7x
Tue, 07 Mar 2023UK£26.6bUK£38.3bUK£1.2b13.2x23.1x0.7x
Price to Earnings Ratio

23.1x


Total Market Cap: UK£26.6bTotal Earnings: UK£1.2bTotal Revenue: UK£38.3bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Food Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 15.2x202420252026
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 15.2x.
  • 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 16% 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 Market1.91%
Consumer Staples-0.11%
Food0.29%
Packaged Foods and Meats0.43%
Agricultural Products-1.72%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Packaged Foods and Meats industry, which is trading close to its 3-year average PE ratio of 16.8x.
    • 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 9.5x.
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 6.2% 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£19.771.2%
+UK£163.4m		4.3%PE13.6x
GNC Greencore GroupUK£2.701.5%
+UK£31.7m		39.0%PE37.2x
CWK CranswickUK£54.300.4%
+UK£10.7m		10.9%PE19.6x
MHPC MHPUS$8.381.2%
+US$10.7m		38.3%PE4.3x
HFG Hilton Food GroupUK£5.290.8%
+UK£3.6m		-38.1%PE12.2x

Latest News

HFG
UK£5.29
Hilton Food Group
7D
0.8%
1Y
-38.1%

HFG: Cautious P E Reset Will Support Future Share Price Upside

Narrative update on Hilton Food Group The analyst price target for Hilton Food Group has been revised lower to £7.31, reflecting reduced targets of £0.35 and £0.50 from recent analyst updates, as well as slightly more cautious assumptions around the discount rate and future P/E. Analyst Commentary Recent research comments cluster around reduced price targets, which feed directly into the revised £7.31 target.
PFD
UK£1.97
Premier Foods
7D
-0.2%
1Y
7.4%
GNC
UK£2.70
Greencore Group
7D
1.5%
1Y
39.0%

GNC: Fair Outlook Will Balance New Partnership With Earnings Execution Risk

Analysts have lifted their price target on Greencore Group from £2.69 to £2.93, citing updated assumptions around revenue growth expectations, margin outlook, and a lower future P/E multiple supported by recent bullish Street research. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts view the lifted price target to £2.93 as consistent with their updated assumptions on revenue growth and margin potential, suggesting the current valuation still leaves room for execution to support the higher target.
ABF
UK£19.77
Associated British Foods
7D
1.2%
1Y
4.3%

ABF: Primark Margin Reset And Steady Cash Flows Will Unlock Share Upside

Narrative Update on Associated British Foods Analysts have trimmed their price targets on Associated British Foods by around £0.15 to £0.35 per share. They point to softer demand at Primark, pressure from lower sugar prices, and concerns around Primark's sales growth and margin reset.
RE.
UK£1.16
R.E.A. Holdings
7D
-0.9%
1Y
64.5%
TATE
UK£3.77
Tate & Lyle
7D
-6.0%
1Y
-30.9%

TATE: Stable Cash Margins And P/E Repricing Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have adjusted their price target on Tate & Lyle to £5.01, with the change reflecting updated assumptions for the discount rate and future P/E multiple, while keeping revenue growth and profit margin expectations broadly in line with prior estimates. Valuation Changes Fair Value: Estimated fair value remains effectively unchanged at £5.01 per share.
CWK
UK£54.30
Cranswick
7D
0.4%
1Y
10.9%

Do Cranswick's (LON:CWK) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?

Feb 13
Do Cranswick's (LON:CWK) Earnings Warrant Your Attention?
MPE
UK£14.45
M.P. Evans Group
7D
-3.0%
1Y
41.7%

We Ran A Stock Scan For Earnings Growth And M.P. Evans Group (LON:MPE) Passed With Ease

Feb 12
We Ran A Stock Scan For Earnings Growth And M.P. Evans Group (LON:MPE) Passed With Ease
MHPC
US$8.38
MHP
7D
1.2%
1Y
38.3%

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
CAM
UK£49.20
Camellia
7D
-1.4%
1Y
5.6%
ANP
UK£5.55
Anpario
7D
-1.8%
1Y
22.0%
FVA
UK£1.26
Fevara
7D
-5.6%
1Y
-11.3%
SALT
UK£0.59
MicroSalt
7D
8.2%
1Y
-17.9%
PRN
UK£4.29
Princes Group
7D
-0.1%
1Y
n/a