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U.K. (FTSE) Research and Consulting Services Industry Analysis

UpdatedFeb 26, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies24
  • 7D5.9%
  • 3M-18.5%
  • 1Y-32.6%
  • YTDn/a

The Research and Consulting Services industry is up 2.6% in the last week, with RELX up 3.5%. During this same period, the RWS Holdings underperformed, falling 8.4%. However, the industry is down 37% over the past year. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 11% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Research and Consulting Services Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Thu, 26 Feb 2026UK£78.2bUK£21.5bUK£3.5b20.4x22.4x3.6x
Sat, 24 Jan 2026UK£91.5bUK£21.4bUK£3.3b21.7x27.4x4.3x
Mon, 22 Dec 2025UK£97.3bUK£21.5bUK£3.4b20.1x28.9x4.5x
Wed, 19 Nov 2025UK£96.7bUK£21.3bUK£3.4b21.1x28.1x4.5x
Fri, 17 Oct 2025UK£105.1bUK£20.9bUK£3.3b22.5x32.1x5x
Sun, 14 Sep 2025UK£109.7bUK£21.4bUK£3.3b22.6x33x5.1x
Tue, 12 Aug 2025UK£111.1bUK£21.4bUK£3.3b22.1x33.2x5.2x
Thu, 10 Jul 2025UK£119.6bUK£21.5bUK£3.3b22.6x35.9x5.6x
Sat, 07 Jun 2025UK£119.5bUK£21.5bUK£3.3b29.2x36.4x5.6x
Mon, 05 May 2025UK£122.9bUK£21.4bUK£3.3b25x37.2x5.7x
Wed, 02 Apr 2025UK£117.2bUK£21.5bUK£3.3b23.6x35.2x5.4x
Fri, 28 Feb 2025UK£117.3bUK£21.7bUK£3.3b32.2x35.5x5.4x
Sun, 26 Jan 2025UK£122.2bUK£21.6bUK£3.3b34.5x37.3x5.7x
Tue, 24 Dec 2024UK£110.9bUK£21.6bUK£3.3b33.7x33.9x5.1x
Thu, 21 Nov 2024UK£111.0bUK£21.5bUK£3.2b30.1x35x5.2x
Sat, 19 Oct 2024UK£116.6bUK£21.1bUK£3.2b30.5x36.9x5.5x
Mon, 16 Sep 2024UK£115.2bUK£21.1bUK£3.2b35.7x36.6x5.5x
Wed, 14 Aug 2024UK£112.6bUK£21.4bUK£3.2b30.3x35.4x5.3x
Fri, 12 Jul 2024UK£112.9bUK£21.3bUK£3.1b30.5x36.9x5.3x
Sun, 09 Jun 2024UK£112.9bUK£21.4bUK£3.1b32.2x36.7x5.3x
Tue, 07 May 2024UK£106.4bUK£21.2bUK£3.0b33x36x5x
Thu, 04 Apr 2024UK£106.1bUK£21.2bUK£3.0b30.2x35.9x5x
Sat, 02 Mar 2024UK£107.3bUK£21.2bUK£3.0b25.6x36.2x5.1x
Mon, 29 Jan 2024UK£106.3bUK£21.6bUK£2.9b24.2x36.1x4.9x
Wed, 27 Dec 2023UK£99.9bUK£21.6bUK£2.9b24x33.9x4.6x
Fri, 24 Nov 2023UK£96.3bUK£21.7bUK£3.1b21.5x31.3x4.4x
Sun, 22 Oct 2023UK£89.7bUK£21.7bUK£2.9b21.7x31.1x4.1x
Tue, 19 Sep 2023UK£90.6bUK£21.6bUK£2.9b21.2x31.6x4.2x
Thu, 17 Aug 2023UK£85.3bUK£21.3bUK£2.9b18.9x29.8x4x
Sat, 15 Jul 2023UK£88.1bUK£20.5bUK£2.7b18.6x32.4x4.3x
Mon, 12 Jun 2023UK£87.0bUK£20.6bUK£2.7b20.7x31.7x4.2x
Wed, 10 May 2023UK£84.6bUK£20.5bUK£2.9b19.5x29.1x4.1x
Fri, 07 Apr 2023UK£86.8bUK£20.5bUK£2.9b20.6x29.9x4.2x
Sun, 05 Mar 2023UK£87.3bUK£20.8bUK£2.9b20.1x29.7x4.2x
Price to Earnings Ratio

29.7x


Total Market Cap: UK£87.3bTotal Earnings: UK£2.9bTotal Revenue: UK£20.8bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Research and Consulting Services Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 33.4x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the British Research and Consulting Services 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 21.2x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 33.5x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 4.9x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 3.4x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Research and Consulting Services industry have grown 5.8% 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 Comparison

How does U.K. Research and Consulting Services compare with similar industries?

GB Market1.13%
Industrials0.47%
Professional Services5.59%
Research and Consulting Services5.91%
HR Services-5.28%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

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

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
REL RELXUK£24.158.1%
+UK£3.2b		-36.5%PE21.1x
EXPN ExperianUK£26.624.4%
+UK£967.1m		-30.7%PE24x
ITRK Intertek GroupUK£46.282.7%
+UK£187.3m		-9.6%PE19.6x
KGH Knights Group HoldingsUK£1.740.9%
+UK£1.3m		29.9%PE125.8x
GNIP GenIPUK£0.114.8%
+UK£102.6k		-66.7%PS12x

Latest News

KEYS
UK£5.52
Keystone Law Group
7D
-5.3%
1Y
6.2%
ELIX
UK£6.78
Elixirr International
7D
-2.3%
1Y
-21.0%

ELIX: Solid Dividend And 2025 Revenue Guidance Will Support Further Upside

Analysts have maintained their fair value estimate for Elixirr International at £11.40 per share, with only very small tweaks to inputs such as discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E. This suggests their overall price target and investment case remain broadly unchanged.
EXPN
UK£26.62
Experian
7D
4.4%
1Y
-30.7%

EXPN: AI Mortgage And Data Partnerships Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have trimmed their price targets on Experian, with one major firm cutting its target by £0.83. The change reflects slightly adjusted assumptions on fair value, discount rate and forward P/E, rather than a change in the core growth or margin outlook.
REL
UK£24.15
RELX
7D
8.1%
1Y
-36.5%

REL: AI Execution Risk Repricing Will Support Future Multiple Re Rating Potential

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for RELX, cutting the price target by £4.48 to reflect slightly lower assumed profit margins and a reduced future P/E. Revenue growth expectations, however, remain in line with recent ranges reported in Street research.
ITRK
UK£46.28
Intertek Group
7D
2.7%
1Y
-9.6%

ITRK: Share Buyback And Selective M&A Pipeline Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have nudged their price target for Intertek Group slightly lower to £55.53 from £55.61. This reflects updated views on discount rates, revenue growth and profit margins, while keeping P/E expectations broadly aligned.
RWS
UK£0.73
RWS Holdings
7D
-4.5%
1Y
-43.0%

RWS: New AI Patent And Dividend Policy Will Support Long-Term Upside

Analysts have reduced their price target on RWS Holdings from £1.82 to £1.52, citing revisions to fair value assumptions alongside updated views on the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E expectations. What's in the News RWS confirmed that Stephen Lamb has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, with his appointment taking effect on March 2, 2026, following an earlier announcement in October 2025 (Key Developments).
FNTL
UK£2.14
Fintel
7D
-7.4%
1Y
-21.6%

Are Investors Undervaluing Fintel Plc (LON:FNTL) By 41%?

Feb 16
Are Investors Undervaluing Fintel Plc (LON:FNTL) By 41%?
GTLY
UK£0.84
Gateley (Holdings)
7D
-7.2%
1Y
-38.5%
DATA
UK£0.82
GlobalData
7D
-1.9%
1Y
-57.6%
KGH
UK£1.74
Knights Group Holdings
7D
0.9%
1Y
29.9%

KGH: Rising Dividend And Return To Organic Growth Will Support Rerating

Analysts have modestly adjusted their price targets for Knights Group Holdings, keeping fair value at £2.52 while fine tuning assumptions around the discount rate and future P/E that support their broader valuation view. What's in the News Proposed interim dividend of 1.94 pence per share for H1 FY26, compared with 1.76 pence for H1 FY25, described as a 10% increase and scheduled to be paid on 13 March 2026 to shareholders on the register at 13 February 2026 (Key Developments).
PPHC
UK£8.90
Public Policy Holding Company
7D
-1.1%
1Y
31.9%
MHA
UK£1.41
Mha
7D
-5.8%
1Y
n/a
GNIP
UK£0.11
GenIP
7D
4.8%
1Y
-66.7%