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U.K. (FTSE) Materials Sector Analysis

UpdatedApr 02, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies156
  • 7D5.4%
  • 3M15.8%
  • 1Y67.3%
  • YTD16.0%

Over the last 7 days, the Materials industry has risen 5.4%, driven by gains from Rio Tinto Group of 8.5%. This means that the industry has gained 67% over the past year. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 18% per annum.

Sector Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Materials Sector valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Thu, 02 Apr 2026UK£317.7bUK£289.5bUK£9.1b18.3x35x1.1x
Sat, 28 Feb 2026UK£341.1bUK£286.3bUK£8.2b23.6x41.4x1.2x
Mon, 26 Jan 2026UK£310.1bUK£272.7bUK£6.2b23.1x49.8x1.1x
Wed, 24 Dec 2025UK£271.4bUK£275.5bUK£6.3b19.3x43x1x
Fri, 21 Nov 2025UK£236.2bUK£283.3bUK£7.0b17.2x33.9x0.8x
Sun, 19 Oct 2025UK£233.8bUK£276.5bUK£6.8b17.2x34.4x0.8x
Tue, 16 Sep 2025UK£212.7bUK£273.2bUK£6.7b15.4x31.8x0.8x
Thu, 14 Aug 2025UK£201.6bUK£272.9bUK£6.6b20.2x30.7x0.7x
Sat, 12 Jul 2025UK£197.2bUK£272.6bUK£6.8b15x29.1x0.7x
Mon, 09 Jun 2025UK£195.7bUK£273.2bUK£6.8b15.7x28.7x0.7x
Wed, 07 May 2025UK£187.5bUK£276.2bUK£7.1b15.7x26.5x0.7x
Fri, 04 Apr 2025UK£183.3bUK£281.7bUK£7.2b14.6x25.5x0.7x
Sun, 02 Mar 2025UK£200.6bUK£290.4bUK£7.4b14x27.3x0.7x
Tue, 28 Jan 2025UK£222.0bUK£298.6bUK£9.2b15.3x24.2x0.7x
Thu, 26 Dec 2024UK£210.7bUK£296.9bUK£9.1b15.7x23x0.7x
Sat, 23 Nov 2024UK£221.6bUK£300.2bUK£9.0b16.8x24.6x0.7x
Mon, 21 Oct 2024UK£227.0bUK£289.7bUK£8.7b17.5x26.1x0.8x
Wed, 18 Sep 2024UK£215.8bUK£287.5bUK£8.6b16.3x25x0.8x
Fri, 16 Aug 2024UK£219.7bUK£293.3bUK£8.8b15.1x25.1x0.7x
Sun, 14 Jul 2024UK£244.8bUK£284.0bUK£13.5b15.5x18.1x0.9x
Tue, 11 Jun 2024UK£242.9bUK£289.8bUK£13.7b16.3x17.7x0.8x
Thu, 09 May 2024UK£250.6bUK£296.1bUK£14.0b16.2x17.9x0.8x
Sat, 06 Apr 2024UK£232.4bUK£293.4bUK£14.1b14.5x16.5x0.8x
Mon, 04 Mar 2024UK£215.6bUK£293.2bUK£14.0b11.1x15.4x0.7x
Wed, 31 Jan 2024UK£239.4bUK£348.2bUK£29.3b10.4x8.2x0.7x
Fri, 29 Dec 2023UK£255.8bUK£347.5bUK£29.3b10.4x8.7x0.7x
Sun, 26 Nov 2023UK£241.9bUK£351.1bUK£29.5b10.5x8.2x0.7x
Tue, 24 Oct 2023UK£254.6bUK£387.3bUK£32.5b10x7.8x0.7x
Thu, 21 Sep 2023UK£274.8bUK£383.7bUK£32.2b10.1x8.5x0.7x
Sat, 19 Aug 2023UK£251.8bUK£374.6bUK£31.7b10x7.9x0.7x
Mon, 17 Jul 2023UK£277.7bUK£392.7bUK£42.6b9.8x6.5x0.7x
Wed, 14 Jun 2023UK£275.7bUK£404.2bUK£43.7b10.4x6.3x0.7x
Fri, 12 May 2023UK£266.9bUK£405.7bUK£44.1b10.1x6.1x0.7x
Sun, 09 Apr 2023UK£280.9bUK£407.8bUK£44.4b10x6.3x0.7x
Price to Earnings Ratio

6.3x


Total Market Cap: UK£280.9bTotal Earnings: UK£44.4bTotal Revenue: UK£407.8bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Materials Sector Price to Earnings3Y Average 21.7x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Materials industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 35.0x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 21.7x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 0.77x is lower than the industry's current PS ratio of 1.1x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Materials industry have declined 41% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 11% 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. Materials sector?

GB Market2.42%
Materials5.40%
Metals and Mining5.73%
Chemicals1.43%
Basic Materials-1.19%
Paper and Forestry Products-1.32%
Packaging-1.71%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Metals and Mining industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 21.6x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 17.6%, which is lower than the prior year's growth of 126.8% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Paper and Forestry Products industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 33% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 24% per year.
  • In contrast, the Packaging industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 4.0% 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
RIO Rio Tinto GroupUK£71.188.5%
+UK£9.0b		54.7%PE15.4x
GLEN GlencoreUK£5.634.3%
+UK£2.7b		98.8%PE241.5x
AAL Anglo AmericanUK£33.445.4%
+UK£1.8b		37.0%PS2.6x
FRES FresnilloUK£34.965.4%
+UK£1.3b		274.1%PE24.8x
PAF Pan African ResourcesUK£1.5413.8%
+UK£377.1m		251.5%PE17.2x

Latest News

FXPO
UK£0.42
Ferrexpo
7D
-16.4%
1Y
-22.4%
MNDI
UK£8.44
Mondi
7D
-1.4%
1Y
-27.4%

MNDI: Future Dividend Resilience Will Drive Re Rating Despite Mixed Broker Stances

Analysts have trimmed Mondi's fair value only slightly, to about £13.64 from £13.66, reflecting a series of reduced price targets in the £780 to £1,030 range as they factor in updated assumptions on discount rates, revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Mondi presents a mixed but informative picture, with price targets spread across a wide range and ratings spanning Buy, Neutral and Underweight.
RIO
UK£71.18
Rio Tinto Group
7D
8.5%
1Y
54.7%

RIO: Cautious Outlook As Copper And Iron Ore Assumptions Turn More Conservative

Analysts have raised the fair value estimate for Rio Tinto Group to £58.52 from £41.00. This change reflects updated views on revenue growth, profit margins and sector valuation following a series of mixed price target revisions and rating downgrades across the Street.
ANTO
UK£34.82
Antofagasta
7D
0.3%
1Y
107.0%

ANTO: Copper Upswing And Centinela Expansion Will Support Medium Term Earnings Power

Antofagasta's analyst fair value estimate has shifted from £40.28 to £47.82, as analysts balance higher assumed revenue growth with lower profit margins and a mixed series of recent target changes and rating moves across the Street. Analyst Commentary Recent research on Antofagasta shows a mix of upgrades, downgrades and price target resets, with views split on valuation, risk and execution.
GLEN
UK£5.63
Glencore
7D
4.3%
1Y
98.8%

GLEN: Fair Outlook Balances Ended Megamerger Talks And Evolving Earnings Expectations

Glencore's analyst price target has shifted within a relatively tight range, with moves such as JPMorgan trimming its view to £4.60 and Berenberg nudging its target to £6.00. Analysts are reassessing fair value using slightly lower discount rates, modestly different revenue growth assumptions, and small adjustments to expected profit margins and future P/E.
SML
UK£0.04
Strategic Minerals
7D
-18.4%
1Y
966.7%
BREE
UK£3.07
Breedon Group
7D
-4.0%
1Y
-31.8%

Infrastructure Tailwinds And Decarbonization Efforts Will Support Stable But Uneven Earnings

Catalysts About Breedon Group Breedon Group is a construction materials company supplying aggregates, asphalt, cement, ready-mix concrete and surfacing services across GB, Ireland and the U.S. Midwest. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
JLP
UK£0.033
Jubilee Metals Group
7D
-5.8%
1Y
4.8%
RHIM
UK£24.30
RHI Magnesita
7D
-1.6%
1Y
-19.0%

RHIM: Future Returns Will Hinge On Earnings Quality And P/E Execution

Analysts have lifted their price target on RHI Magnesita by £2.00 per share, from £36.50 to £38.50. They cited updated assumptions for discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E that support a slightly higher valuation range.
HOC
UK£6.39
Hochschild Mining
7D
7.6%
1Y
135.3%

HOC: Higher Margins And 2026 Production Guidance Will Support Bullish Repricing

The updated analyst price target for Hochschild Mining rises by £0.32, supported by analysts citing a higher assumed profit margin and a lower future P/E multiple, while they also apply a slightly higher discount rate and temper revenue growth assumptions. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Hochschild Mining shows a series of price target changes and rating shifts that give you a sense of how views are evolving around valuation, growth prospects and execution risk.
AAL
UK£33.44
Anglo American
7D
5.4%
1Y
37.0%
CAPD
UK£1.24
Capital
7D
-4.2%
1Y
98.1%
PAF
UK£1.54
Pan African Resources
7D
13.8%
1Y
251.5%

PAF: Production Delivery And Earnings Momentum Will Support Re Rating Potential

Analysts have slightly trimmed their fair value estimate for Pan African Resources, reflecting a modest reduction in the price target to £1.81 from £1.90, as they factor in updated assumptions for discount rate, growth and profitability. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts still see upside potential to their revised £1.81 fair value, suggesting that, despite a slightly lower target, the shares are not viewed as fully pricing in the company’s execution prospects.
FRES
UK£34.96
Fresnillo
7D
5.4%
1Y
274.1%
CRDA
UK£28.89
Croda International
7D
2.0%
1Y
-0.1%

CRDA: Higher Price Move To 3,280 And Modest P/E Reset Signal Upside

Narrative Update The analyst price target for Croda International has been raised to £3,280, an increase of £250. Analysts reference recent target moves from major banks, along with small adjustments to revenue growth, profit margin, discount rate and future P/E assumptions.
CTL
UK£0.077
CleanTech Lithium
7D
-29.5%
1Y
-20.5%