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U.K. (FTSE) Professional Services Industry Analysis

UpdatedMar 27, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies35
  • 7D-3.9%
  • 3M-22.3%
  • 1Y-34.6%
  • YTD-21.3%

Over the last 7 days, the Professional Services industry has dropped 3.9%, driven by RELX declining 4.5%. The industry has fallen 35% in the last year. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 11% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Fri, 27 Mar 2026UK£75.9bUK£33.7bUK£3.5b16.1x21.8x2.3x
Sun, 22 Feb 2026UK£78.1bUK£36.0bUK£3.5b19.7x22.3x2.2x
Tue, 20 Jan 2026UK£97.4bUK£36.1bUK£3.4b21.1x28.8x2.7x
Thu, 18 Dec 2025UK£99.3bUK£36.1bUK£3.4b19.4x29.3x2.8x
Sat, 15 Nov 2025UK£101.1bUK£36.0bUK£3.5b20.9x29.2x2.8x
Mon, 13 Oct 2025UK£107.7bUK£35.5bUK£3.3b22.5x32.6x3x
Wed, 10 Sep 2025UK£113.7bUK£36.0bUK£3.4b21.7x33.8x3.2x
Fri, 08 Aug 2025UK£116.6bUK£36.3bUK£3.4b21x34.6x3.2x
Sun, 06 Jul 2025UK£121.3bUK£36.6bUK£3.4b22.6x35.2x3.3x
Tue, 03 Jun 2025UK£122.0bUK£36.6bUK£3.4b23x35.7x3.3x
Thu, 01 May 2025UK£123.2bUK£36.5bUK£3.4b22.6x35.9x3.4x
Sat, 29 Mar 2025UK£121.0bUK£37.2bUK£3.5b23.4x34.7x3.3x
Mon, 24 Feb 2025UK£124.2bUK£37.7bUK£3.4b28.8x36.8x3.3x
Wed, 22 Jan 2025UK£127.7bUK£37.9bUK£3.4b28.6x37.8x3.4x
Fri, 20 Dec 2024UK£116.2bUK£37.8bUK£3.4b23.7x34.5x3.1x
Sun, 17 Nov 2024UK£114.7bUK£37.8bUK£3.3b23.1x35.3x3x
Tue, 15 Oct 2024UK£119.4bUK£37.4bUK£3.2b22.9x36.9x3.2x
Thu, 12 Sep 2024UK£117.5bUK£37.4bUK£3.2b22.8x36.5x3.1x
Sat, 10 Aug 2024UK£116.1bUK£38.1bUK£3.3b21.9x34.7x3x
Mon, 08 Jul 2024UK£118.4bUK£38.5bUK£3.1b19.4x37.9x3.1x
Wed, 05 Jun 2024UK£117.5bUK£38.6bUK£3.1b20.2x37.4x3x
Fri, 03 May 2024UK£109.3bUK£38.4bUK£3.0b19x36.1x2.8x
Sun, 31 Mar 2024UK£113.7bUK£38.4bUK£3.0b22.5x37.6x3x
Tue, 27 Feb 2024UK£115.1bUK£40.6bUK£3.2b19.2x35.6x2.8x
Thu, 25 Jan 2024UK£111.1bUK£41.7bUK£3.3b19.9x33.3x2.7x
Sat, 23 Dec 2023UK£105.7bUK£41.6bUK£3.3b22.4x31.7x2.5x
Mon, 20 Nov 2023UK£100.1bUK£41.8bUK£3.5b17.4x28.7x2.4x
Wed, 18 Oct 2023UK£96.9bUK£41.7bUK£3.3b17.1x29.5x2.3x
Fri, 15 Sep 2023UK£95.9bUK£41.6bUK£3.3b19.8x29.4x2.3x
Sun, 13 Aug 2023UK£92.8bUK£41.1bUK£3.3b17.8x28.3x2.3x
Tue, 11 Jul 2023UK£89.8bUK£39.7bUK£3.3b15.5x27.4x2.3x
Thu, 08 Jun 2023UK£93.5bUK£39.7bUK£3.3b16.6x28.4x2.4x
Sat, 06 May 2023UK£88.8bUK£39.5bUK£3.5b17x25.7x2.2x
Mon, 03 Apr 2023UK£92.5bUK£39.6bUK£3.5b17.5x26.8x2.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

26.8x


Total Market Cap: UK£92.5bTotal Earnings: UK£3.5bTotal Revenue: UK£39.6bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Professional Services Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 32.6x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the British Professional 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 21.8x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 32.6x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 2.8x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 2.3x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Professional Services industry have remained mostly flat over the last three years.
  • Meanwhile revenues for these companies have declined 5.3% per year.
  • This means that the cost of doing business could be reducing since sales have declined but profits have remained steady.

Industry Trends

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

GB Market-0.89%
Industrials-3.39%
Professional Services-3.88%
HR Services1.12%
Research and Consulting Services-3.97%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Research and Consulting Services industry even though it's trading below its 3-year average PE ratio of 33.3x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 10.3%, which is higher than its past year's earnings growth of 6.8% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the HR Services industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 71% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 3.2% per year.
  • In contrast, the Research and Consulting Services industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 10% 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
ITRK Intertek GroupUK£36.200.8%
+UK£43.0m		-27.9%PE16.2x
CPI CapitaUK£2.6811.9%
+UK£32.4m		29.2%PS0.1x
HAS HaysUK£0.335.1%
+UK£25.9m		-60.3%PS0.08x
PAGE PageGroupUK£1.362.7%
+UK£11.2m		-57.6%PE46.8x
KGH Knights Group HoldingsUK£1.695.3%
+UK£7.3m		23.4%PE121.9x

Latest News

ITRK
UK£36.20
Intertek Group
7D
0.8%
1Y
-27.9%
FNTL
UK£1.61
Fintel
7D
-5.3%
1Y
-27.5%
PPHC
UK£8.95
Public Policy Holding Company
7D
-5.8%
1Y
30.2%
KGH
UK£1.69
Knights Group Holdings
7D
5.3%
1Y
23.4%

KGH: Higher Interim Dividend And Steady Assumptions Will Support Future Rerating Potential

Analysts have kept their price target for Knights Group Holdings broadly steady at £2.52, reflecting only fine tuning of assumptions around the discount rate, profit margin, revenue growth and future P/E, rather than a change in overall view. What's in the News Knights Group Holdings has proposed an interim dividend of 1.94 pence per share for H1 FY25, compared with 1.76 pence per share previously, described as a 10% increase (Key Developments).
STAF
UK£0.44
Staffline Group
7D
7.8%
1Y
33.3%
EXPN
UK£25.03
Experian
7D
-5.4%
1Y
-30.9%

EXPN: Data And AI Capabilities Will Support Future Upside Despite Higher Required Returns

Narrative Update The analyst price target for Experian has been trimmed to £4,100. This modest fair value adjustment reflects analysts' updated assumptions on the discount rate and P/E, alongside recent target cuts from major firms.
REL
UK£23.93
RELX
7D
-4.0%
1Y
-38.4%

REL: Q4 Resilience To AI Concerns Will Support Future Multiple Re Rating

Narrative Update on RELX The analyst price target for RELX has been adjusted slightly, with recent Street research pointing to mixed moves in implied £ price levels as analysts weigh resilient Q4 results against ongoing uncertainty around artificial intelligence impacts. Analyst Commentary Recent Street commentary on RELX reflects a split view, with some analysts highlighting resilient execution around Q4 results and others focusing on valuation and ongoing uncertainty around artificial intelligence.
DATA
UK£0.64
GlobalData
7D
-4.2%
1Y
-57.6%
HAS
UK£0.33
Hays
7D
5.1%
1Y
-60.3%

HAS: Cyclical And Structural Pressures Will Set Up Future Earnings Recovery

Narrative update on Hays Analysts have cut Hays’ average price target by around £0.04. This reflects recent reductions in formal targets from firms such as Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital and Jefferies as they factor in tougher cyclical and structural conditions and a slightly higher assumed P/E multiple.
PAGE
UK£1.36
PageGroup
7D
2.7%
1Y
-57.6%

PAGE: Earnings Pressure And Dividend Reset Will Set Up Longer Term Upside Potential

Analysts have trimmed PageGroup's fair value estimate from £1.95 to £1.50. This reflects recent price target cuts to £225 and £215 and concerns that cyclical headwinds combined with structural challenges could keep earnings under pressure for longer.
CPI
UK£2.68
Capita
7D
11.9%
1Y
29.2%

CPI: Execution On AI Data Partnerships Will Drive Future Re Rating

Narrative Update on Capita The analyst price target for Capita has been reduced to £3.00 from £4.05. Analysts point to a weaker revenue trajectory, a lower fair value estimate and a higher discount rate, partly offset by an assumed higher future P/E multiple.
ELIX
UK£5.82
Elixirr International
7D
-4.6%
1Y
-17.4%

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

Analysts have maintained their fair value estimate for Elixirr International at £11.40, making only small adjustments to inputs such as the discount rate and future P/E assumption, which together support this unchanged price target. What's in the News Elixirr International issued earnings guidance for the year ending 31 December 2025, stating that revenue is expected to meet or exceed market expectations of £149 million, with the company attributing this to continued momentum across the Group (Company guidance).
AMCO
UK£1.19
Amcomri Group
7D
7.7%
1Y
111.6%
BTG
UK£1.19
BTG Consulting
7D
2.2%
1Y
19.7%
WIL
UK£2.30
Wilmington
7D
-4.6%
1Y
-37.0%
KEYS
UK£4.55
Keystone Law Group
7D
-7.2%
1Y
-12.6%