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U.K. (FTSE) Trade Distributors Industry Analysis

UpdatedApr 23, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies21
  • 7D3.8%
  • 3M8.8%
  • 1Y22.6%
  • YTD12.4%

The Trade Distributors industry is up 1.9% in the last week, with Diploma up 5.0%. In the last 12 months, the industry was up 23%. Earnings are forecast to grow by 13% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Thu, 23 Apr 2026UK£29.2bUK£31.7bUK£932.4m16x31.4x0.9x
Sat, 21 Mar 2026UK£26.2bUK£31.7bUK£908.8m15.3x28.9x0.8x
Mon, 16 Feb 2026UK£49.1bUK£39.5bUK£2.1b14.9x23.3x1.2x
Wed, 14 Jan 2026UK£49.1bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b13.7x22.6x1.2x
Fri, 12 Dec 2025UK£47.5bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b14.4x21.9x1.2x
Sun, 09 Nov 2025UK£46.0bUK£39.7bUK£2.2b14.7x20.6x1.2x
Tue, 07 Oct 2025UK£48.7bUK£39.5bUK£2.2b15.6x22.2x1.2x
Thu, 04 Sep 2025UK£50.5bUK£39.5bUK£2.3b15x21.8x1.3x
Sat, 02 Aug 2025UK£48.3bUK£39.5bUK£2.4b14.3x20.2x1.2x
Mon, 30 Jun 2025UK£47.7bUK£39.2bUK£2.3b14x20.3x1.2x
Wed, 28 May 2025UK£45.9bUK£39.4bUK£2.4b13.1x19.5x1.2x
Fri, 25 Apr 2025UK£41.7bUK£39.5bUK£2.3b13.5x17.8x1.1x
Sun, 23 Mar 2025UK£45.8bUK£39.9bUK£2.4b14x19x1.1x
Tue, 18 Feb 2025UK£53.0bUK£40.0bUK£2.4b13.7x21.7x1.3x
Thu, 16 Jan 2025UK£52.2bUK£40.4bUK£2.5b13.2x20.6x1.3x
Sat, 14 Dec 2024UK£54.0bUK£40.1bUK£2.5b13.3x21.6x1.3x
Mon, 11 Nov 2024UK£58.9bUK£39.2bUK£2.5b13.5x23.9x1.5x
Wed, 09 Oct 2024UK£57.0bUK£39.1bUK£2.5b14.2x23.1x1.5x
Fri, 06 Sep 2024UK£56.1bUK£39.0bUK£2.4b17.7x23x1.4x
Sun, 04 Aug 2024UK£53.6bUK£39.6bUK£2.6b16x20.3x1.4x
Tue, 02 Jul 2024UK£53.7bUK£40.1bUK£3.1b14x17.6x1.3x
Thu, 30 May 2024UK£56.3bUK£40.0bUK£3.1b13.5x18.2x1.4x
Sat, 27 Apr 2024UK£57.7bUK£40.1bUK£3.2b12.8x18x1.4x
Mon, 25 Mar 2024UK£55.1bUK£40.0bUK£3.2b13.5x17.3x1.4x
Wed, 21 Feb 2024UK£54.5bUK£40.5bUK£3.5b11.2x15.7x1.3x
Fri, 19 Jan 2024UK£51.9bUK£40.4bUK£3.5b11.1x15x1.3x
Sun, 17 Dec 2023UK£54.9bUK£40.3bUK£3.4b11.1x16.2x1.4x
Tue, 14 Nov 2023UK£48.0bUK£39.9bUK£3.1b10.6x15.7x1.2x
Thu, 12 Oct 2023UK£48.8bUK£39.9bUK£3.1b10.8x15.7x1.2x
Sat, 09 Sep 2023UK£49.7bUK£39.8bUK£3.1b11.4x16x1.2x
Mon, 07 Aug 2023UK£52.6bUK£38.9bUK£3.1b11.8x17.2x1.4x
Wed, 05 Jul 2023UK£51.0bUK£39.0bUK£3.2b10.6x16x1.3x
Fri, 02 Jun 2023UK£50.4bUK£38.8bUK£3.2b10.1x15.8x1.3x
Sun, 30 Apr 2023UK£49.3bUK£38.4bUK£3.1b10.3x15.7x1.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

15.7x


Total Market Cap: UK£49.3bTotal Earnings: UK£3.1bTotal Revenue: UK£38.4bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Trade Distributors Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 19.6x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Trade Distributors industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 31.2x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 19.5x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 1.3x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 0.91x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Trade Distributors industry have declined 33% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 6.1% per year.
  • This means overall sales from these companies are declining and profits are subsequently falling as well.

Industry Trends

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

GB Market-0.41%
Industrials-2.93%
Trade Distributors3.76%
Trade Companies and Distributors3.76%
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£69.755.0%
+UK£449.2m		81.1%PE50.6x
BNZL BunzlUK£24.094.8%
+UK£356.3m		1.0%PE16.8x
RS1 RS GroupUK£6.136.0%
+UK£161.6m		21.5%PE18.2x
HWDN Howden Joinery GroupUK£8.341.1%
+UK£48.6m		16.1%PE16.8x
GFTU Grafton GroupUK£9.382.6%
+UK£42.8m		5.2%PE13x

Latest News

AT.
UK£4.83
Ashtead Technology Holdings
7D
-3.3%
1Y
1.2%
BNZL
UK£24.09
Bunzl
7D
4.8%
1Y
1.0%
SDY
UK£0.21
Speedy Hire
7D
-2.8%
1Y
4.3%

SDY: New Finance Leadership Will Support Higher Margin Asset Light Partnership Upside

Analysts have revised their price target on Speedy Hire to £X.XX from £Y.YY, citing updated assumptions that reflect a slightly lower revenue growth outlook, a modestly higher profit margin, and a small adjustment to the forward P/E multiple. What's in the News Speedy Hire PLC appointed Judith Cottrell to the Board as Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1, 2026, bringing senior financial and operational experience from prior roles at Ricardo Plc and RPS Group Plc (company announcement).
MACF
UK£0.69
Macfarlane Group
7D
-2.1%
1Y
-31.3%

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

Analysts have kept their fair value estimate for Macfarlane Group steady at £0.91 per share. This reflects only small tweaks to their discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E assumptions in their refreshed models.
SHI
UK£0.084
SIG
7D
-4.1%
1Y
-36.6%

SHI: Execution Risks Around Revenue Delivery Will Sustain Overvaluation Concerns

Analysts have trimmed their price target on SIG to £0.05, citing slightly higher perceived risk, more cautious revenue growth assumptions, and only marginal changes to profit margins and future P/E expectations. Analyst Commentary Bearish analysts point to the reduced £0.05 price target as a reflection of what they see as limited upside relative to the risks around revenue delivery, margin stability, and earnings visibility.
GFTU
UK£9.38
Grafton Group
7D
2.6%
1Y
5.2%

GFTU: Future Dividend And Buyback Programme Will Support Upside Potential

Analysts have reduced their price target for Grafton Group from £11.81 to £11.56, reflecting a higher discount rate, more cautious revenue growth assumptions and a lower future P/E multiple, while broadly maintaining existing profit margin expectations. What's in the News The Board of Grafton Group plc is recommending a full year dividend of 37.75 pence per share for 2025, with a final dividend of 27.00 pence per share and an interim dividend of 10.75 pence per share, subject to shareholder approval at the AGM on 15 May 2026 (Key Developments).
DPA
US$0.15
DP Aircraft I
7D
-4.4%
1Y
35.4%
DPLM
UK£69.75
Diploma
7D
5.0%
1Y
81.1%

DPLM: 2026 Guidance And Higher Street P/E Assumptions Will Shape Premium View

Diploma's analyst price targets have moved higher, with several recent Street updates lifting fair value estimates by £200 to £900. Analysts are factoring in a slightly higher discount rate and P/E assumptions while keeping growth and margin expectations broadly unchanged.
LORD
UK£0.18
Lords Group Trading
7D
-6.5%
1Y
-32.1%

Is It Time To Consider Buying Lords Group Trading plc (LON:LORD)?

Apr 14
Is It Time To Consider Buying Lords Group Trading plc (LON:LORD)?
LTHM
UK£10.10
James Latham
7D
3.1%
1Y
-5.2%
TPK
UK£5.73
Travis Perkins
7D
-0.3%
1Y
8.6%

TPK: Higher Discount Rate And Lower Future P/E Will Pressure Upside Potential

Narrative Update on Travis Perkins The updated analyst price target for Travis Perkins reflects a mixed set of recent calls, with one major cut of £0.32, alongside increases to £8.60 and an additional £0.50, as analysts factor in adjusted discount rates, revenue growth assumptions and P/E expectations. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Travis Perkins points to a split in sentiment, with some bullish adjustments to price targets alongside a clear pocket of caution.
ASY
UK£5.10
Andrews Sykes Group
7D
5.2%
1Y
1.4%
HWDN
UK£8.34
Howden Joinery Group
7D
1.1%
1Y
16.1%

HWDN: Upgraded Rating And Dividend Plan Will Support Repricing Potential

Analysts have nudged up their price targets on Howden Joinery, with recent moves including a lift to £9.55 and an upgrade to £9.95. These changes reflect updated views on the stock's valuation and risk profile.
RS1
UK£6.13
RS Group
7D
6.0%
1Y
21.5%

RS1: Future Margin Execution Will Support Bullish Long Term Earnings Potential

RS Group's updated fair value estimate has edged down to £8.30 from £8.70 as analysts trim price targets across the sector, citing slightly higher discount rates, moderated profit margin assumptions, and a higher future P/E multiple despite revised revenue growth expectations. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on RS Group has centered on recalibrated price targets across several firms, with analysts aligning their assumptions on discount rates, margins, and P/E multiples to sector peers.
BRCK
UK£0.53
BRCK Group
7D
-5.2%
1Y
-13.2%
VP.
UK£4.88
Vp
7D
6.8%
1Y
-10.6%