Investing IdeasBrowse All StocksMarkets
Have your own idea? Try our Stock Screener
Header cover image

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

UpdatedJun 21, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies21
  • 7D0.7%
  • 3M11.6%
  • 1Y12.4%
  • YTDn/a

Last week, the Trade Companies and Distributors industry hasn't moved much but Diploma is up 4.6% in that time. As for the the longer term, the industry is up 12% over the past 12 months. 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
Sun, 21 Jun 2026UK£29.4bUK£31.9bUK£911.4m16.1x32.3x0.9x
Tue, 19 May 2026UK£27.8bUK£31.8bUK£933.5m14.8x29.8x0.9x
Thu, 16 Apr 2026UK£28.2bUK£31.7bUK£932.5m16.1x30.2x0.9x
Sat, 14 Mar 2026UK£26.3bUK£31.7bUK£1.1b16.2x25x0.8x
Mon, 09 Feb 2026UK£47.6bUK£39.5bUK£2.1b15.1x22.6x1.2x
Wed, 07 Jan 2026UK£49.2bUK£39.6bUK£2.2b13.6x22.7x1.2x
Fri, 05 Dec 2025UK£46.8bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b14.4x21.1x1.2x
Sun, 02 Nov 2025UK£48.7bUK£39.8bUK£2.2b15.4x21.9x1.2x
Tue, 30 Sep 2025UK£48.1bUK£39.6bUK£2.3b14.4x20.6x1.2x
Thu, 28 Aug 2025UK£51.5bUK£39.4bUK£2.3b15.2x22x1.3x
Sat, 26 Jul 2025UK£49.6bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b14.8x20.9x1.3x
Mon, 23 Jun 2025UK£45.5bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b13.8x19.2x1.2x
Wed, 21 May 2025UK£46.8bUK£39.5bUK£2.4b13.1x19.6x1.2x
Fri, 18 Apr 2025UK£40.8bUK£39.5bUK£2.4b13.3x17.4x1x
Sun, 16 Mar 2025UK£45.7bUK£39.8bUK£2.4b14x18.9x1.1x
Tue, 11 Feb 2025UK£52.3bUK£40.2bUK£2.5b13.9x21.2x1.3x
Thu, 09 Jan 2025UK£50.9bUK£40.3bUK£2.5b13.1x20.2x1.3x
Sat, 07 Dec 2024UK£60.0bUK£40.0bUK£2.5b13.4x24x1.5x
Mon, 04 Nov 2024UK£56.7bUK£39.2bUK£2.5b14.1x22.9x1.4x
Wed, 02 Oct 2024UK£58.1bUK£38.9bUK£2.4b14.4x23.7x1.5x
Fri, 30 Aug 2024UK£56.8bUK£39.0bUK£2.5b16.7x22.8x1.5x
Sun, 28 Jul 2024UK£57.6bUK£40.2bUK£3.2b14.1x18x1.4x
Tue, 25 Jun 2024UK£55.7bUK£40.1bUK£3.1b14x18.2x1.4x
Thu, 23 May 2024UK£57.9bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b14.7x18.4x1.4x
Sat, 20 Apr 2024UK£54.4bUK£40.2bUK£3.2b12.7x17x1.4x
Mon, 18 Mar 2024UK£52.7bUK£39.9bUK£3.2b13.5x16.6x1.3x
Wed, 14 Feb 2024UK£52.8bUK£40.5bUK£3.5b11x15.2x1.3x
Fri, 12 Jan 2024UK£51.8bUK£40.4bUK£3.5b10.9x15x1.3x
Sun, 10 Dec 2023UK£51.9bUK£40.4bUK£3.4b10.7x15.2x1.3x
Tue, 07 Nov 2023UK£46.9bUK£39.8bUK£3.1b10.1x15.2x1.2x
Thu, 05 Oct 2023UK£48.3bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b11.4x15.5x1.2x
Sat, 02 Sep 2023UK£51.5bUK£39.3bUK£3.0b11.7x16.9x1.3x
Mon, 31 Jul 2023UK£52.7bUK£38.9bUK£3.1b11.2x17x1.4x
Wed, 28 Jun 2023UK£50.6bUK£39.0bUK£3.2b10.6x15.8x1.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

15.8x


Total Market Cap: UK£50.6bTotal 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 20.4x202420252026
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 32.3x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 20.4x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 1.2x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 0.92x.
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 Market-1.30%
Industrials1.48%
Trade Distributors0.72%
Trade Companies and Distributors0.72%
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
DPLM DiplomaUK£72.004.6%
+UK£422.4m		50.6%PE51x
HWDN Howden Joinery GroupUK£8.081.0%
+UK£43.2m		-4.5%PE16.3x
GFTU Grafton GroupUK£8.820.8%
+UK£13.4m		-10.7%PE12.2x
BRCK BRCK GroupUK£0.536.9%
+UK£11.0m		-13.7%PE15.9x
SDY Speedy HireUK£0.218.4%
+UK£7.4m		-21.3%PS0.2x

Latest News

SDY
UK£0.21
Speedy Hire
7D
8.4%
1Y
-21.3%
Analysis Article • 13h

Analysts Have Been Trimming Their Speedy Hire Plc (LON:SDY) Price Target After Its Latest Report

Investors in Speedy Hire Plc ( LON:SDY ) had a good week, as its shares rose 8.4% to close at UK£0.21 following the...
BMT
UK£11.00
Braime Group
7D
15.8%
1Y
18.9%
LORD
UK£0.16
Lords Group Trading
7D
-3.0%
1Y
-63.2%
BRCK
UK£0.53
BRCK Group
7D
6.9%
1Y
-13.7%
VP.
UK£4.60
Vp
7D
-6.1%
1Y
-26.3%
HWDN
UK£8.08
Howden Joinery Group
7D
1.0%
1Y
-4.5%
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£6.21
RS Group
7D
-1.3%
1Y
11.3%
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.
FLO
UK£0.62
Flowtech Fluidpower
7D
13.6%
1Y
-2.7%
TPK
UK£5.42
Travis Perkins
7D
-3.3%
1Y
-12.2%
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.
BNZL
UK£24.74
Bunzl
7D
-2.5%
1Y
8.9%
Narrative Update • Jun 14

BNZL: Guidance And Dividend Will Support Margins After Barclays Downgrade

Analysts have adjusted their fair value estimate for Bunzl to £24.90 from £24.62, reflecting updated assumptions on the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E following recent research commentary, including a downgrade at Barclays. What's in the News No recent company specific news items, periodical coverage, or key development summaries were provided for Bunzl in the supplied sources.
MACF
UK£0.67
Macfarlane Group
7D
-0.3%
1Y
-43.8%
Narrative Update • Jun 06

MACF: Steady Assumptions And Higher Required Return Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have left their fair value estimate for Macfarlane Group unchanged at £0.91 per share, with only marginal tweaks to the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin assumptions and future P/E. This indicates a largely steady view of the stock's valuation drivers.
GFTU
UK£8.82
Grafton Group
7D
0.8%
1Y
-10.7%
Narrative Update • Jun 05

GFTU: Future Dividend Will Support Upside Potential Despite Revised Assumptions

Analysts have reduced their fair value estimate for Grafton Group from £11.56 to £11.21, reflecting updated views on discount rates, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E assumptions. What's in the News Shareholders approved a final dividend of 27.0 pence per ordinary share for the year ended 31 December 2025 at the Annual General Meeting held on 15 May 2026.
SHI
UK£0.079
SIG
7D
-3.8%
1Y
-49.3%
Narrative Update • Jun 05

SHI: CFO Transition And Refined Profit Outlook Will Support Upside Potential

Analysts have nudged their fair value estimate for SIG to £0.14 per share, with slightly adjusted assumptions on discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E. This reflects a modestly refined view of the stock's risk and earnings profile.
DPLM
UK£72.00
Diploma
7D
4.6%
1Y
50.6%
Narrative Update • Jun 05

DPLM: Raised 2026 Guidance And Active M&A Will Shape Balanced Repricing

Diploma's analyst price target has been raised from £71.15 to £75.54. Analysts point to stronger organic and M&A revenue growth, particularly in Peerless and the broader Controls business, as key drivers behind the revisions.
AT.
UK£4.48
Ashtead Technology Holdings
7D
-0.6%
1Y
6.2%
PRO
UK£0.031
ProService Building Services Marketplace
7D
8.3%
1Y
-58.1%