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U.K. (FTSE) Trade Companies and Distributors Industry Analysis

UpdatedJun 29, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies21
  • 7D2.4%
  • 3M14.6%
  • 1Y11.5%
  • YTDn/a

Over the last 7 days, the Trade Companies and Distributors industry has risen 2.4%, driven by gains from Bunzl of 7.0%. This takes the industry's 12 month performance to a gain of 11%. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 13% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Tue, 30 Jun 2026UK£30.1bUK£31.9bUK£911.4m15.7x33x0.9x
Thu, 28 May 2026UK£28.8bUK£31.9bUK£939.9m15.7x30.6x0.9x
Sat, 25 Apr 2026UK£29.2bUK£31.7bUK£932.4m16x31.3x0.9x
Mon, 23 Mar 2026UK£26.2bUK£31.7bUK£908.8m15.3x28.9x0.8x
Wed, 18 Feb 2026UK£48.6bUK£39.5bUK£2.1b14.7x23x1.2x
Fri, 16 Jan 2026UK£49.3bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b13.8x22.6x1.2x
Sun, 14 Dec 2025UK£47.9bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b14.3x22x1.2x
Tue, 11 Nov 2025UK£46.7bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b14.7x20.9x1.2x
Thu, 09 Oct 2025UK£49.1bUK£39.6bUK£2.2b15.7x22.3x1.2x
Sat, 06 Sep 2025UK£51.4bUK£39.6bUK£2.3b15.1x22.1x1.3x
Mon, 04 Aug 2025UK£48.3bUK£39.5bUK£2.4b14.3x20.2x1.2x
Wed, 02 Jul 2025UK£47.1bUK£39.2bUK£2.3b14.2x20.1x1.2x
Fri, 30 May 2025UK£45.6bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b12.9x19.4x1.2x
Sun, 27 Apr 2025UK£41.8bUK£39.5bUK£2.3b13.8x17.8x1.1x
Tue, 25 Mar 2025UK£46.3bUK£39.9bUK£2.4b14.3x19.1x1.2x
Thu, 20 Feb 2025UK£52.9bUK£40.0bUK£2.4b13.6x21.7x1.3x
Sat, 18 Jan 2025UK£53.6bUK£40.4bUK£2.5b13.3x21.1x1.3x
Mon, 16 Dec 2024UK£54.0bUK£40.1bUK£2.5b13.3x21.6x1.3x
Wed, 13 Nov 2024UK£58.3bUK£39.3bUK£2.5b13.5x23.5x1.5x
Fri, 11 Oct 2024UK£56.9bUK£39.1bUK£2.5b14.3x23.1x1.5x
Sun, 08 Sep 2024UK£55.5bUK£39.0bUK£2.4b17.2x22.7x1.4x
Tue, 06 Aug 2024UK£53.0bUK£39.7bUK£2.6b15.9x20.1x1.3x
Thu, 04 Jul 2024UK£54.1bUK£40.1bUK£3.0b14x17.8x1.3x
Sat, 01 Jun 2024UK£56.3bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b13.4x18.3x1.4x
Mon, 29 Apr 2024UK£57.7bUK£40.1bUK£3.2b13.1x18x1.4x
Wed, 27 Mar 2024UK£55.1bUK£40.0bUK£3.2b13.6x17.3x1.4x
Fri, 23 Feb 2024UK£55.3bUK£40.5bUK£3.5b11.2x15.9x1.4x
Sun, 21 Jan 2024UK£51.6bUK£40.4bUK£3.5b10.9x14.9x1.3x
Tue, 19 Dec 2023UK£54.9bUK£40.4bUK£3.4b11x16.2x1.4x
Thu, 16 Nov 2023UK£49.8bUK£39.8bUK£3.0b11.1x16.4x1.3x
Sat, 14 Oct 2023UK£47.8bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b10.4x15.4x1.2x
Mon, 11 Sep 2023UK£49.7bUK£39.8bUK£3.1b11.4x16x1.2x
Wed, 09 Aug 2023UK£52.1bUK£38.9bUK£3.1b11.7x17x1.3x
Fri, 07 Jul 2023UK£48.8bUK£39.0bUK£3.2b10.2x15.3x1.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

15.3x


Total Market Cap: UK£48.8bTotal Earnings: UK£3.2bTotal Revenue: UK£39.0bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 20.5x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Trading Companies and Distributors industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 33.0x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 20.5x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 1.2x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 0.94x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Trading Companies and Distributors industry have declined 34% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 6.5% per year.
  • This means overall sales from these companies are declining and profits are subsequently falling as well.

Industry Comparison

How does U.K. Trade Companies and Distributors compare with similar industries?

GB Market1.14%
Industrials-0.33%
Trade Distributors2.43%
Trade Companies and Distributors2.43%
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
BNZL BunzlUK£26.427.2%
+UK£571.4m		13.9%PE18.5x
HWDN Howden Joinery GroupUK£8.474.1%
+UK£178.2m		-1.1%PE17.1x
TPK Travis PerkinsUK£5.623.8%
+UK£43.4m		-7.5%PS0.3x
GFTU Grafton GroupUK£9.001.6%
+UK£26.2m		-11.9%PE12.4x
ASY Andrews Sykes GroupUK£5.534.2%
+UK£9.4m		3.8%PE12.8x

Latest News

BNZL
UK£26.42
Bunzl
7D
7.2%
1Y
13.9%
Narrative Update • Jun 29

BNZL: Updated Guidance And Activist Push Will Shape Future Margin Support

Bunzl's updated analyst price target has been raised to £3,000 from £2,800, with analysts pointing to modest adjustments in fair value estimates, the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions to support the change. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Bunzl highlights a cluster of higher price targets, with analysts fine tuning their assumptions on fair value, discount rates and future P/E to reflect how they see the company executing over time.
VP.
UK£4.92
Vp
7D
2.7%
1Y
-18.0%
Narrative Update • Jun 26

VP.: FY26 Profit Guidance Will Support Rebound From Challenging Backdrop

Analysts have reduced their price target on Vp, citing an updated fair value estimate of £7.62 that reflects lower assumed revenue growth, a reduced profit margin outlook and a higher discount rate, partly offset by a higher future P/E multiple. What’s in the News for Vp Vp reaffirmed earnings guidance for the financial year ending 31 March 2026, indicating an expected profit range of £26 million to £29 million.
LORD
UK£0.15
Lords Group Trading
7D
-6.2%
1Y
-67.2%
Narrative Update • Jun 26

LORD: Dividend Reset Will Support Improved Prospects For Future Returns

Analysts have reduced their fair value estimate for Lords Group Trading to £0.19 from £0.35, reflecting updated assumptions for revenue growth, profit margins, a slightly higher discount rate, and a modestly lower future P/E multiple. What’s in the News for Lords Group Trading Lords Group Trading held its AGM on 18 June 2026, where shareholders approved a final dividend of 0.20 pence per ordinary share for the financial year ended 31 December 2025.
DPLM
UK£70.50
Diploma
7D
-2.4%
1Y
44.2%
Narrative Update • Jun 25

DPLM: Peerless And Controls Integration Will Shape Measured Repricing Outlook

Diploma’s analyst fair value estimate has been lifted by about £1.50 per share to £77.04, as analysts factor in updated Street price targets in the £7,000 to £8,250 range and cite stronger organic and M&A revenue contributions, particularly from Peerless and the broader Controls business. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Diploma points to a cluster of higher price targets, with bullish analysts emphasizing the role of organic revenue and M&A, particularly in Peerless and the Controls business, while more cautious voices focus on execution risks and how much of this story is already reflected in the valuation.
SHI
UK£0.081
SIG
7D
1.3%
1Y
-48.1%
Narrative Update • Jun 24

SHI: Leadership Transition Will Set Stage For Re Rated Earnings Multiple

Analysts have lowered their fair value estimate for SIG from £0.12 to £0.10, citing updated assumptions on discount rates, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E multiples. What’s in the News for SIG SIG plc has scheduled a Special and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting for May 22, 2026, at SIG West London, Mathisen Way, Poyle, Slough, SL3 0HB, United Kingdom.
MACF
UK£0.68
Macfarlane Group
7D
4.6%
1Y
-42.4%
Narrative Update • Jun 24

MACF: Steady Assumptions Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have kept their fair value estimate for Macfarlane Group unchanged at £0.91. The slight tweaks in discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions reflect only minor model refinements rather than a shift in the overall price target view.
GFTU
UK£9.00
Grafton Group
7D
1.6%
1Y
-11.9%
Narrative Update • Jun 23

GFTU: Dividend Outlook Will Underpin Upside Despite Geopolitical Trading Headwinds

Analysts have adjusted their outlook on Grafton Group with a revised price target of £11.00 compared with the prior £11.50, citing a more challenging trading backdrop in March and April linked to rising geopolitical uncertainty, as well as modest tweaks to discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions. What’s in the News for Grafton Group Grafton Group approved a final dividend of 27.0 pence per ordinary share for the year ended 31 December 2025 at its Annual General Meeting held on 15 May 2026.
BRCK
UK£0.50
BRCK Group
7D
-2.3%
1Y
-22.0%
HWDN
UK£8.47
Howden Joinery Group
7D
4.1%
1Y
-1.1%
Narrative Update • Jun 18

HWDN: Final 2025 Dividend Will Support Bullish Share Price Repricing

Analysts have trimmed their fair value estimate for Howden Joinery Group slightly to £10.02 from £10.05, reflecting updated assumptions around revenue growth, profit margins and the discount rate, while keeping future P/E expectations broadly in line with previous views. What's in the News for Howden Joinery Group Howden Joinery Group shareholders approved a final dividend for 2025 of 16.9 pence per share at the AGM held on 7 May 2026.
RS1
UK£5.87
RS Group
7D
-5.6%
1Y
2.2%
Narrative Update • Jun 17

RS1: Downgrades And Weaker Revenue Outlook Will Restrain Future Share Re Rating

RS Group's analyst price target has shifted modestly, moving slightly towards £7.80 per share as analysts weigh lower revenue growth expectations against firmer margin assumptions and adjusted P/E forecasts. Analyst Commentary Recent research on RS Group shows a mix of opinions, but the tone around the stock has leaned cautious as several bearish analysts adjust their views and price targets.
ASY
UK£5.53
Andrews Sykes Group
7D
4.2%
1Y
3.8%
FLO
UK£0.60
Flowtech Fluidpower
7D
-4.1%
1Y
-6.9%
TPK
UK£5.62
Travis Perkins
7D
3.8%
1Y
-7.5%
Narrative Update • Jun 16

TPK: Lower Discount Rate And Dividend Reset Will Drive Future Rerating Potential

Analysts have trimmed their price targets on Travis Perkins, with a blended target now around £6.55, down from about £6.62. This reflects slightly adjusted assumptions on discount rates, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E following recent updates from major banks.
LTHM
UK£10.30
James Latham
7D
-0.7%
1Y
-11.2%
AT.
UK£4.29
Ashtead Technology Holdings
7D
-5.8%
1Y
-3.2%
PRO
UK£0.025
ProService Building Services Marketplace
7D
-16.7%
1Y
-66.7%