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U.K. (FTSE) Materials Sector Analysis

UpdatedJan 18, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies156
  • 7D4.5%
  • 3M28.9%
  • 1Y40.6%
  • YTD8.9%

The Materials industry is up 4.5% in the last week, with Rio Tinto Group up 5.7%. This takes the industry's 12 month performance to a gain of 41%. Earnings are forecast to grow by 30% annually.

Sector Valuation and Performance

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

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 18 Jan 2026UK£299.5bUK£277.3bUK£6.3b21.5x47.2x1.1x
Tue, 16 Dec 2025UK£256.6bUK£277.6bUK£6.4b20.4x40.3x0.9x
Thu, 13 Nov 2025UK£244.4bUK£282.3bUK£7.0b17.4x35.1x0.9x
Sat, 11 Oct 2025UK£232.6bUK£278.1bUK£6.8b16.8x34x0.8x
Mon, 08 Sep 2025UK£208.0bUK£275.0bUK£6.6b19.9x31.4x0.8x
Wed, 06 Aug 2025UK£190.8bUK£277.9bUK£7.2b16.6x26.5x0.7x
Fri, 04 Jul 2025UK£195.0bUK£271.3bUK£6.7b14.9x28.9x0.7x
Sun, 01 Jun 2025UK£194.0bUK£274.3bUK£6.9b15.8x28.3x0.7x
Tue, 29 Apr 2025UK£188.8bUK£275.1bUK£7.0b15x26.8x0.7x
Thu, 27 Mar 2025UK£204.9bUK£285.3bUK£7.3b15.8x28.1x0.7x
Sat, 22 Feb 2025UK£210.0bUK£289.2bUK£7.4b14.8x28.5x0.7x
Mon, 20 Jan 2025UK£223.4bUK£305.2bUK£9.4b15.2x23.8x0.7x
Wed, 18 Dec 2024UK£214.6bUK£293.5bUK£9.0b15.9x23.7x0.7x
Fri, 15 Nov 2024UK£214.4bUK£297.3bUK£8.9b16.9x24.1x0.7x
Sun, 13 Oct 2024UK£231.1bUK£289.3bUK£8.7b18.4x26.6x0.8x
Tue, 10 Sep 2024UK£206.9bUK£289.1bUK£8.7b14.8x23.8x0.7x
Thu, 08 Aug 2024UK£222.0bUK£289.2bUK£12.7b14.6x17.5x0.8x
Sat, 06 Jul 2024UK£245.6bUK£287.3bUK£13.7b15.5x18x0.9x
Mon, 03 Jun 2024UK£250.6bUK£289.6bUK£13.6b17.4x18.4x0.9x
Wed, 01 May 2024UK£248.8bUK£296.0bUK£14.0b15.5x17.8x0.8x
Fri, 29 Mar 2024UK£226.7bUK£293.6bUK£14.1b14.1x16.1x0.8x
Sun, 25 Feb 2024UK£215.7bUK£293.0bUK£14.0b11.1x15.4x0.7x
Tue, 23 Jan 2024UK£228.9bUK£348.0bUK£29.3b10.4x7.8x0.7x
Thu, 21 Dec 2023UK£252.8bUK£349.1bUK£29.4b10.4x8.6x0.7x
Sat, 18 Nov 2023UK£243.9bUK£355.7bUK£29.8b10.2x8.2x0.7x
Mon, 16 Oct 2023UK£267.9bUK£389.8bUK£32.6b10.3x8.2x0.7x
Wed, 13 Sep 2023UK£262.5bUK£381.7bUK£32.1b10.4x8.2x0.7x
Fri, 11 Aug 2023UK£268.6bUK£375.1bUK£31.8b9.9x8.5x0.7x
Sun, 09 Jul 2023UK£262.9bUK£398.9bUK£43.2b9.7x6.1x0.7x
Tue, 06 Jun 2023UK£269.5bUK£408.6bUK£44.3b10.3x6.1x0.7x
Thu, 04 May 2023UK£272.7bUK£404.6bUK£44.0b10.3x6.2x0.7x
Sat, 01 Apr 2023UK£288.9bUK£410.0bUK£44.6b10.1x6.5x0.7x
Mon, 27 Feb 2023UK£297.4bUK£421.5bUK£46.6b10x6.4x0.7x
Wed, 25 Jan 2023UK£330.2bUK£408.4bUK£50.2b10.2x6.6x0.8x
Price to Earnings Ratio

6.6x


Total Market Cap: UK£330.2bTotal Earnings: UK£50.2bTotal Revenue: UK£408.4bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Materials Sector Price to Earnings3Y Average 19.3x202420252026
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 47.2x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 19.3x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 0.75x 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 50% per year over the last three years,
  • Revenues have also declined 12% 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 Market1.33%
Materials4.52%
Metals and Mining4.85%
Chemicals1.84%
Packaging0.39%
Basic Materials-1.32%
Paper and Forestry Products-2.34%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Metals and Mining industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 19.2x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 30.3%, which is lower than the prior year's growth of 78.4% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Packaging industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 60% over the next 5 years.
  • In contrast, the Paper and Forestry Products industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 24% 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£63.475.7%
+UK£5.5b		25.9%PE13.4x
GLEN GlencoreUK£4.795.7%
+UK£3.0b		25.9%PS0.3x
FRES FresnilloUK£37.466.8%
+UK£1.8b		462.5%PE81x
ANTO AntofagastaUK£35.602.5%
+UK£857.7m		101.8%PE43x
TIN Cornish MetalsUK£1.2629.2%
+UK£393.3m		1,262.2%PB16.8x

Latest News

GLEN
UK£4.79
Glencore
7D
5.7%
1Y
25.9%
FRES
UK£37.46
Fresnillo
7D
6.8%
1Y
462.5%

Fresnillo plc (LON:FRES) Looks Just Right With A 28% Price Jump

Jan 16
Fresnillo plc (LON:FRES) Looks Just Right With A 28% Price Jump
HOC
UK£5.86
Hochschild Mining
7D
12.0%
1Y
165.5%
FORT
UK£1.78
Forterra
7D
-3.3%
1Y
10.5%

FORT: Revenue Stability And Margin Outlook Will Support A Fair Future

Analysts have lifted their price target on Forterra, citing updated assumptions that include revenue growth of 6.13%, a profit margin of 9.53% and a future P/E of 12.19x. What's in the News Forterra issued new or confirmed earnings guidance for the second half, indicating that revenues are expected to be at similar levels to the first half (Key Developments).
SRC
UK£1.29
SigmaRoc
7D
-3.7%
1Y
71.8%

SRC: Future EPS Guidance Will Likely Limit Upside Versus Fair View

Narrative Update on SigmaRoc Analysts have nudged their price target on SigmaRoc to £1.20. The small change is tied to updated assumptions that keep fair value steady at £1.20 while reflecting slightly adjusted views on discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E.
RIO
UK£63.47
Rio Tinto Group
7D
5.7%
1Y
25.9%
BREE
UK£3.33
Breedon Group
7D
-0.4%
1Y
-21.1%

BREE: Future Upside Will Rely On Steady Execution After Price Cut

Analysts have trimmed their price target on Breedon Group to £3.60 from £4.10. This reflects updated views on the shares while retaining broadly cautious commentary.
AAL
UK£32.40
Anglo American
7D
0.7%
1Y
12.0%

AAL: Rejected Bid And Teck Merger Plans Will Constrain Upside Potential

Analysts have lifted their fair value estimate for Anglo American from £18.70 to about £21.07 per share. They point to updated price targets in the £30.00 to £31.00 range and a reassessment of discount rates, revenue expectations, profit margins and future P/E assumptions to support the change.
TIN
UK£1.26
Cornish Metals
7D
29.2%
1Y
1,262.2%
PAF
UK£1.25
Pan African Resources
7D
4.2%
1Y
228.8%

PAF: Index Inclusions And Tailings Study Will Shape Balanced Forward Prospects

Analysts have increased their price target for Pan African Resources from £1.27 to £1.30, citing updated assumptions around revenue growth, profit margins and a slightly different forward P/E multiple in their models. What's in the News Pan African Resources PLC was added to the FTSE 250 Index, bringing the company into a widely tracked UK mid cap benchmark (Index Constituent Adds).
ANTO
UK£35.60
Antofagasta
7D
2.5%
1Y
101.8%
MNDI
UK£8.96
Mondi
7D
-2.4%
1Y
-25.4%

MNDI: Future Dividend Resilience Will Drive Rebound After Recent Downgrades

Narrative update The analyst price target for Mondi has been reduced in light of a lower fair value estimate of €13.76 from €17.67 and more cautious assumptions on revenue growth and future P/E, as analysts reassess expectations and highlight risks to dividends and prior target levels ranging from £7.60 to £12.50. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research on Mondi points to a mixed but still constructive set of views, with some firms turning more cautious while others maintain a more positive stance on execution and valuation support.
EEE
UK£0.42
Empire Metals
7D
-5.6%
1Y
502.0%
CMET
UK£0.04
Capital Metals
7D
-13.0%
1Y
128.6%
CGS
UK£2.67
Castings
7D
-3.6%
1Y
1.9%
WSBN
UK£0.69
Wishbone Gold
7D
-27.4%
1Y
294.3%