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U.K. (FTSE) Consumer Staples Sector Analysis

UpdatedApr 10, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies50
  • 7D1.1%
  • 3M-2.0%
  • 1Y4.5%
  • YTD-3.5%

The Consumer Staples industry is up 1.1% in the last week, with Unilever up 3.3%. This means that the industry has gained 4.5% over the past year. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 6.8% per annum.

Sector Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sat, 11 Apr 2026UK£371.4bUK£290.4bUK£24.1b15.9x15.4x1.3x
Mon, 09 Mar 2026UK£387.8bUK£290.8bUK£24.1b18.2x16.1x1.3x
Wed, 04 Feb 2026UK£401.5bUK£297.9bUK£17.3b19x23.2x1.3x
Fri, 02 Jan 2026UK£389.7bUK£301.0bUK£17.4b18.4x22.4x1.3x
Sun, 30 Nov 2025UK£403.1bUK£301.4bUK£17.4b18.3x23.1x1.3x
Tue, 28 Oct 2025UK£397.2bUK£298.6bUK£18.4b18.7x21.6x1.3x
Thu, 25 Sep 2025UK£386.0bUK£297.2bUK£18.5b17.8x20.9x1.3x
Sat, 23 Aug 2025UK£416.1bUK£296.4bUK£18.4b19.2x22.6x1.4x
Mon, 21 Jul 2025UK£384.7bUK£297.5bUK£19.5b19.3x19.7x1.3x
Wed, 18 Jun 2025UK£383.0bUK£296.5bUK£19.5b19.2x19.7x1.3x
Fri, 16 May 2025UK£370.6bUK£295.1bUK£19.7b17.5x18.8x1.3x
Sun, 13 Apr 2025UK£367.6bUK£297.5bUK£19.7b16.4x18.7x1.2x
Tue, 11 Mar 2025UK£378.3bUK£294.9bUK£19.8b16.2x19.1x1.3x
Thu, 06 Feb 2025UK£375.7bUK£296.2bUK£3.7b16.8x101.6x1.3x
Sat, 04 Jan 2025UK£408.2bUK£309.3bUK£5.2b17.5x77.8x1.3x
Mon, 02 Dec 2024UK£410.4bUK£309.1bUK£5.2b16.9x79x1.3x
Wed, 30 Oct 2024UK£405.5bUK£307.6bUK£4.1b17.6x99.1x1.3x
Fri, 27 Sep 2024UK£413.0bUK£306.2bUK£3.9b17.4x107.1x1.3x
Sun, 25 Aug 2024UK£406.5bUK£307.7bUK£4.0b18.5x102.4x1.3x
Tue, 23 Jul 2024UK£392.2bUK£312.8bUK£4.2b16.6x93.4x1.3x
Thu, 20 Jun 2024UK£391.4bUK£356.8bUK£5.8b16.3x67.7x1.1x
Sat, 18 May 2024UK£403.9bUK£351.9bUK£5.4b17.3x74.8x1.1x
Mon, 15 Apr 2024UK£369.6bUK£349.8bUK£5.5b16.5x67x1.1x
Wed, 13 Mar 2024UK£375.9bUK£343.9bUK£4.6b16.8x81.5x1.1x
Fri, 09 Feb 2024UK£386.7bUK£314.3bUK£5.0b17.4x77.5x1.2x
Sun, 07 Jan 2024UK£387.3bUK£362.7bUK£31.1b16.4x12.5x1.1x
Tue, 05 Dec 2023UK£387.1bUK£362.7bUK£31.1b16.6x12.5x1.1x
Thu, 02 Nov 2023UK£386.8bUK£359.5bUK£29.7b17.5x13x1.1x
Sat, 30 Sep 2023UK£397.2bUK£354.4bUK£28.9b17.2x13.8x1.1x
Mon, 28 Aug 2023UK£401.4bUK£354.5bUK£28.7b15.7x14x1.1x
Wed, 26 Jul 2023UK£411.6bUK£351.8bUK£25.7b16.2x16x1.2x
Fri, 23 Jun 2023UK£401.9bUK£354.7bUK£25.7b15.6x15.6x1.1x
Sun, 21 May 2023UK£427.5bUK£355.6bUK£25.7b16.8x16.6x1.2x
Tue, 18 Apr 2023UK£432.5bUK£350.8bUK£25.8b16.2x16.8x1.2x
Price to Earnings Ratio

16.8x


Total Market Cap: UK£432.5bTotal Earnings: UK£25.8bTotal Revenue: UK£350.8bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Consumer Staples Sector Price to Earnings3Y Average 40x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the British Consumer Staples industry, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates will be lower than they have historically.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 15.4x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 40.0x.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 1.2x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Consumer Staples industry have declined 2.3% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 6.1% 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. Consumer Staples sector?

GB Market1.74%
Consumer Staples1.13%
Beverage3.54%
Personal Products3.25%
Food and Staples Retail1.61%
Food0.68%
Household Products-0.11%
Tobacco-1.25%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Food and Staples Retail industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 19.7x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 14.8%, which is higher than its past year's earnings decline of 19.4% per year.
  • Investors are most pessimistic about the Household Products industry, which is trading below its 3-year average of 22.1x.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Food and Staples Retail industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 15% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 19% per year.
  • In contrast, the Household Products industry is expected to see its earnings decline by 4.9% 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
ULVR UnileverUK£43.133.4%
+UK£3.1b		-17.9%PE19x
DGE DiageoUK£14.413.6%
+UK£1.1b		-29.8%PE17.8x
CCH Coca-Cola HBCUK£44.784.8%
+UK£743.5m		26.0%PE19.9x
MKS Marks and Spencer GroupUK£3.653.1%
+UK£222.7m		-3.4%PE373.2x
ABF Associated British FoodsUK£19.201.6%
+UK£207.5m		-4.2%PE13.2x

Latest News

ULVR
UK£43.13
Unilever
7D
3.4%
1Y
-17.9%
BATS
UK£43.51
British American Tobacco
7D
-1.3%
1Y
37.9%
CCH
UK£44.78
Coca-Cola HBC
7D
4.8%
1Y
26.0%

CCH: Future Governance Changes Will Support Confidence In Execution

Analysts have slightly reduced the Coca-Cola HBC fair value estimate, with the implied price target easing by about £0.14. This reflects updated P/E assumptions along with modest adjustments to expectations for revenue growth and profit margins following mixed recent research updates.
TSCO
UK£4.85
Tesco
7D
-0.4%
1Y
48.0%

TSCO: Future Returns Will Depend On Margins And Modest Multiple Expectations

Analysts have made a modest upward adjustment to Tesco's price target, reflecting slightly higher fair value estimates around £4.89, a small change to assumed discount rates and growth, and a marginally lower future P/E multiple. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates on Tesco highlight a mix of optimism around fair value and some caution on execution and near term risks.
IMB
UK£30.84
Imperial Brands
7D
0.2%
1Y
6.5%

IMB: Stronger Margins And Higher Future P E Multiple Will Support Upside

Analysts have adjusted their price target on Imperial Brands to £41.80, reflecting updated views on a higher discount rate, a slightly softer revenue growth outlook, a modestly stronger profit margin, and a marginally higher future P/E assumption. What's in the News Reports indicate that progress on a U.S. fast track scheme for nicotine pouches has slowed, affecting the timing of regulatory review for products in this category (Reuters).
RKT
UK£51.60
Reckitt Benckiser Group
7D
-0.5%
1Y
3.9%

RKT: Future Returns Will Hinge On Emerging Market Mix Execution

Analysts have trimmed the fair value estimate for Reckitt Benckiser Group to £64.42 from £65.63, reflecting recent price target cuts, such as Deutsche Bank's move to £54.60, and a reset of longer term earnings expectations linked to slightly softer revenue growth, a marginally lower profit margin outlook, and a reduced future P/E assumption to 19.99. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Reckitt Benckiser shows a mixed but useful range of views around valuation, execution and growth, with both bullish and bearish analysts adjusting their targets and ratings in response to company specific developments.
DGE
UK£14.41
Diageo
7D
3.6%
1Y
-29.8%

DGE: Margin Resilience And Portfolio Breadth Will Support Future Share Rebound

Analysts have trimmed their implied fair value estimate for Diageo to about £24.38 from roughly £26.55. This reflects a slightly higher discount rate, more moderate revenue growth assumptions and a lower future P/E multiple, even as margin expectations are a touch stronger.
RHR
UK£0.015
Richmond Hill Resources
7D
-27.5%
1Y
100.0%
ABF
UK£19.20
Associated British Foods
7D
1.6%
1Y
-4.2%

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.
ART
UK£0.29
Artisanal Spirits
7D
-7.9%
1Y
-33.3%
SBRY
UK£3.52
J Sainsbury
7D
1.6%
1Y
51.1%

SBRY: Future Returns Will Hinge On Tight P/E As Views Stay Balanced

The analyst price target for J Sainsbury has been raised to £3.52 from £3.49, with analysts citing updated assumptions on fair value, revenue growth and future P/E to support the change. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates show analysts fine tuning their outlook on J Sainsbury, with modest price target changes tied to revised fair value work, assumptions on revenue progression and expectations for the shares P/E multiple.
NICL
UK£9.40
Nichols
7D
-1.5%
1Y
-20.3%
MKS
UK£3.65
Marks and Spencer Group
7D
3.1%
1Y
-3.4%

MKS: Refined Cash Flow Assumptions Will Support Future Upside From Tight Range

Analysts have nudged their fair value assumptions only slightly while trimming the average price target on Marks and Spencer Group to around £4.35 to £4.15, reflecting small tweaks to discount rate, revenue growth and profit margin assumptions in recent Citi and Berenberg research. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts highlight that recent price targets in the £4.15 to £4.35 range still sit meaningfully above current fair value assumptions, which they see as compatible with an appealing risk reward profile.
CWK
UK£54.00
Cranswick
7D
2.9%
1Y
10.9%
PFD
UK£1.96
Premier Foods
7D
4.9%
1Y
3.9%
MHPC
US$8.00
MHP
7D
-0.5%
1Y
60.3%

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