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

UpdatedJul 13, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies21
  • 7D-1.8%
  • 3M3.1%
  • 1Y12.4%
  • YTDn/a

Over the last 7 days, the Trade Companies and Distributors industry has dropped 1.8%, driven by Diploma declining 3.8%. This takes the industry's 12 month performance to a gain of 12%. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 13% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Mon, 13 Jul 2026UK£29.4bUK£31.9bUK£912.5m15.2x32.2x0.9x
Wed, 10 Jun 2026UK£29.1bUK£31.9bUK£939.8m15.7x31x0.9x
Fri, 08 May 2026UK£29.4bUK£31.7bUK£932.7m16.1x31.5x0.9x
Sun, 05 Apr 2026UK£27.1bUK£31.8bUK£932.2m15.8x29.1x0.9x
Tue, 03 Mar 2026UK£50.4bUK£39.6bUK£2.1b16.7x23.8x1.3x
Thu, 29 Jan 2026UK£47.7bUK£39.4bUK£2.1b14.7x22.7x1.2x
Sat, 27 Dec 2025UK£47.9bUK£39.6bUK£2.2b13.9x22.1x1.2x
Mon, 24 Nov 2025UK£45.5bUK£39.8bUK£2.3b14.2x20.2x1.1x
Wed, 22 Oct 2025UK£49.6bUK£39.6bUK£2.2b15x22.5x1.3x
Fri, 19 Sep 2025UK£50.1bUK£39.6bUK£2.3b14.8x21.6x1.3x
Sun, 17 Aug 2025UK£50.0bUK£39.3bUK£2.4b14.4x21.3x1.3x
Tue, 15 Jul 2025UK£47.0bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b14x19.8x1.2x
Thu, 12 Jun 2025UK£45.7bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b12.7x19.4x1.2x
Sat, 10 May 2025UK£43.7bUK£39.5bUK£2.3b13.1x18.6x1.1x
Mon, 07 Apr 2025UK£42.0bUK£39.8bUK£2.4b13x17.5x1.1x
Wed, 05 Mar 2025UK£46.7bUK£40.1bUK£2.4b12.3x19.1x1.2x
Fri, 31 Jan 2025UK£53.0bUK£40.1bUK£2.5b13.9x21.5x1.3x
Sun, 29 Dec 2024UK£51.6bUK£40.1bUK£2.5b13.2x20.7x1.3x
Tue, 26 Nov 2024UK£59.4bUK£39.5bUK£2.5b12.5x23.7x1.5x
Thu, 24 Oct 2024UK£58.0bUK£39.2bUK£2.5b14.2x23.4x1.5x
Sat, 21 Sep 2024UK£58.1bUK£38.9bUK£2.4b16.2x24x1.5x
Mon, 19 Aug 2024UK£54.6bUK£39.3bUK£2.6b16.1x21.4x1.4x
Wed, 17 Jul 2024UK£57.1bUK£39.9bUK£3.0b14x18.9x1.4x
Fri, 14 Jun 2024UK£56.8bUK£39.9bUK£3.1b13.1x18.6x1.4x
Sun, 12 May 2024UK£58.6bUK£40.1bUK£3.2b13.8x18.4x1.5x
Tue, 09 Apr 2024UK£55.4bUK£40.0bUK£3.2b13.4x17.4x1.4x
Thu, 07 Mar 2024UK£53.1bUK£39.9bUK£3.2b12.4x16.6x1.3x
Sat, 03 Feb 2024UK£54.4bUK£40.5bUK£3.5b11.3x15.7x1.3x
Mon, 01 Jan 2024UK£55.2bUK£40.4bUK£3.5b11.1x16x1.4x
Wed, 29 Nov 2023UK£48.1bUK£39.7bUK£3.0b10.8x16.1x1.2x
Fri, 27 Oct 2023UK£45.5bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b9.9x14.6x1.1x
Sun, 24 Sep 2023UK£49.6bUK£39.9bUK£3.1b11.8x15.9x1.2x
Tue, 22 Aug 2023UK£49.6bUK£38.9bUK£3.1b11.1x16.2x1.3x
Thu, 20 Jul 2023UK£51.1bUK£38.8bUK£3.1b10.8x16.5x1.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

16.5x


Total Market Cap: UK£51.1bTotal Earnings: UK£3.1bTotal Revenue: UK£38.8bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Trade Companies and Distributors Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 20.7x202420252026
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 32.2x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 20.7x.
  • 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 33% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 6.3% 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-1.38%
Industrials-3.06%
Trade Distributors-1.80%
Trade Companies and Distributors-1.80%
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£26.881.1%
+UK£96.3m		18.1%PE18.8x
RS1 RS GroupUK£6.180.7%
+UK£18.4m		6.0%PE17.6x
VP. VpUK£4.977.1%
+UK£13.0m		-12.8%PS0.5x
PRO ProService Building Services MarketplaceUK£0.02512.1%
+UK£2.1m		-73.0%PS0.07x
FLO Flowtech FluidpowerUK£0.613.4%
+UK£1.6m		-5.3%PS0.4x

Latest News

VP.
UK£4.97
Vp
7D
7.1%
1Y
-12.8%
Narrative Update • Jul 10

VP.: FY26 Profit Guidance Will Underpin Confidence Despite Tough Conditions

Analysts have lowered their fair value estimate for Vp from £8.28 to £6.66, citing updated assumptions around discount rates, profit margins, revenue growth and future P/E expectations as key drivers of the change. What’s in the News for Vp Vp reaffirmed its earnings guidance for the financial year ending 31 March 2026, indicating expected FY26 profits in a range of £26 million to £29 million.
RS1
UK£6.18
RS Group
7D
0.7%
1Y
6.0%
LTHM
UK£10.65
James Latham
7D
-0.9%
1Y
-7.0%
DPLM
UK£68.00
Diploma
7D
-3.8%
1Y
38.7%
TPK
UK£5.39
Travis Perkins
7D
-4.9%
1Y
-6.0%
Narrative Update • Jun 30

TPK: Rebased P/E Assumptions And Dividend Strength Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have trimmed their price targets for Travis Perkins, with recent research indicating cuts of £50 to £55 per share. This reflects updated views on revenue growth, margins and appropriate P/E levels for the stock.
SDY
UK£0.19
Speedy Hire
7D
-3.3%
1Y
-33.1%
Narrative Update • Jun 29

SDY: Lower Dividend And Margin Reset Will Support Future Re Rating

Analysts have lowered their implied fair value estimate for Speedy Hire from £0.55 to £0.41, citing updated assumptions for slower revenue growth, slimmer profit margins, and a higher future P/E multiple in their latest price target work. What's in the News for Speedy Hire Speedy Hire proposed a final dividend for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026 of 0.70 pence per share, with an expected cash cost of about £3.2 million.
BNZL
UK£26.88
Bunzl
7D
1.1%
1Y
18.1%
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.
MACF
UK£0.65
Macfarlane Group
7D
-3.6%
1Y
-33.8%
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£8.79
Grafton Group
7D
-1.2%
1Y
-5.0%
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.
HWDN
UK£7.81
Howden Joinery Group
7D
-4.8%
1Y
-4.2%
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.
FLO
UK£0.61
Flowtech Fluidpower
7D
3.4%
1Y
-5.3%
AT.
UK£4.04
Ashtead Technology Holdings
7D
-1.0%
1Y
-12.0%
PRO
UK£0.025
ProService Building Services Marketplace
7D
12.1%
1Y
-73.0%
DPA
US$0.15
DP Aircraft I
7D
3.3%
1Y
24.0%
AVAP
UK£1.37
Avation
7D
1.5%
1Y
-14.4%