WH Smith PLC

LSE:SMWH Stock Report

Market Cap: UK£1.6b

WH Smith Management

Management criteria checks 2/4

WH Smith's CEO is Carl Cowling, appointed in Nov 2019, has a tenure of 5.17 years. total yearly compensation is £2.66M, comprised of 24.2% salary and 75.8% bonuses, including company stock and options. directly owns 0.048% of the company’s shares, worth £779.45K. The average tenure of the management team and the board of directors is 5.2 years and 1.9 years respectively.

Key information

Carl Cowling

Chief executive officer

UK£2.7m

Total compensation

CEO salary percentage24.2%
CEO tenure5.2yrs
CEO ownership0.05%
Management average tenure5.2yrs
Board average tenure1.9yrs

Recent management updates

Recent updates

Are Investors Undervaluing WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) By 28%?

Jan 12
Are Investors Undervaluing WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) By 28%?

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

Dec 18
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year

WH Smith's (LON:SMWH) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

Dec 04
WH Smith's (LON:SMWH) Shareholders Will Receive A Bigger Dividend Than Last Year

Investors Appear Satisfied With WH Smith PLC's (LON:SMWH) Prospects

Nov 16
Investors Appear Satisfied With WH Smith PLC's (LON:SMWH) Prospects

Is Now The Time To Look At Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Sep 24
Is Now The Time To Look At Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

WH Smith PLC's (LON:SMWH) P/E Is On The Mark

Aug 07
WH Smith PLC's (LON:SMWH) P/E Is On The Mark

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of £0.11

Jun 28
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of £0.11

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Has Announced A Dividend Of £0.11

Jun 14
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Has Announced A Dividend Of £0.11

Is Now The Time To Look At Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Jun 12
Is Now The Time To Look At Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Here's Why WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

May 21
Here's Why WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Will Pay A Dividend Of £0.11

Apr 28
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Will Pay A Dividend Of £0.11

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares Could Be 34% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

Mar 21
WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares Could Be 34% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Feb 29
Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

We Think WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Stay On Top Of Its Debt

Jan 08
We Think WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Stay On Top Of Its Debt

We Think WH Smith's (LON:SMWH) Robust Earnings Are Conservative

Dec 18
We Think WH Smith's (LON:SMWH) Robust Earnings Are Conservative

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To £0.208

Dec 13
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Has Announced That It Will Be Increasing Its Dividend To £0.208

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Increasing Its Dividend To £0.208

Nov 16
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Is Increasing Its Dividend To £0.208

Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Potentially Undervalued?

Nov 10
Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Potentially Undervalued?

A Look At The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Oct 04
A Look At The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Here's Why WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

Jul 14
Here's Why WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares Could Be 33% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

Jun 22
WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares Could Be 33% Above Their Intrinsic Value Estimate

Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

May 05
Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

A Look At The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Mar 18
A Look At The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Jan 18
Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Seems To Use Debt Quite Sensibly

Dec 05
WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Seems To Use Debt Quite Sensibly

Estimating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Aug 25
Estimating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

At UK£14.46, Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Worth Looking At Closely?

Aug 04
At UK£14.46, Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Worth Looking At Closely?

Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) A Risky Investment?

May 27
Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) A Risky Investment?

Should You Investigate WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) At UK£14.56?

May 03
Should You Investigate WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) At UK£14.56?

Calculating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Apr 12
Calculating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Potentially Undervalued?

Jan 26
Is WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Potentially Undervalued?

Estimating The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Jan 05
Estimating The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Using Too Much Debt?

Dec 09
Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Using Too Much Debt?

Calculating The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Sep 23
Calculating The Intrinsic Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Aug 18
Is Now An Opportune Moment To Examine WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Calculating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Jun 25
Calculating The Fair Value Of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)

Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) A Risky Investment?

May 27
Is WH Smith (LON:SMWH) A Risky Investment?

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Just Reported Interim Earnings: Have Analysts Changed Their Mind On The Stock?

May 01
WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Just Reported Interim Earnings: Have Analysts Changed Their Mind On The Stock?

What Type Of Shareholders Own The Most Number of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares?

Mar 17
What Type Of Shareholders Own The Most Number of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Shares?

Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

Feb 10
Is It Time To Consider Buying WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)?

CEO Compensation Analysis

How has Carl Cowling's remuneration changed compared to WH Smith's earnings?
DateTotal CompensationSalaryCompany Earnings
Aug 31 2024UK£3mUK£644k

UK£67m

May 31 2024n/an/a

UK£66m

Feb 29 2024n/an/a

UK£64m

Nov 30 2023n/an/a

UK£72m

Aug 31 2023UK£3mUK£610k

UK£79m

May 31 2023n/an/a

UK£73m

Feb 28 2023n/an/a

UK£67m

Nov 30 2022n/an/a

UK£57m

Aug 31 2022UK£2mUK£585k

UK£47m

May 31 2022n/an/a

UK£6m

Feb 28 2022n/an/a

-UK£35m

Nov 30 2021n/an/a

-UK£58m

Aug 31 2021UK£1mUK£550k

-UK£82m

May 31 2021n/an/a

-UK£201m

Feb 28 2021n/an/a

-UK£321m

Nov 30 2020n/an/a

-UK£280m

Aug 31 2020UK£608kUK£482k

-UK£239m

May 31 2020n/an/a

-UK£68m

Feb 29 2020n/an/a

UK£102m

Nov 30 2019n/an/a

UK£104m

Aug 31 2019UK£2mUK£201k

UK£106m

Compensation vs Market: Carl's total compensation ($USD3.31M) is above average for companies of similar size in the UK market ($USD2.39M).

Compensation vs Earnings: Carl's compensation has been consistent with company performance over the past year.

CEO

Carl Cowling (51 yo)

5.2yrs

Tenure

UK£2,659,000

Compensation

Mr. Carl David Cowling has been Group Chief Executive at WH Smith PLC since November 01, 2019. Mr. Cowling served as Managing Director of High Street Business at WH Smith PLC since 2017 until November 01,...

Leadership Team

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Carl Cowling
Group Chief Executive & Director5.2yrsUK£2.66m0.048%
£ 779.4k
Maxwell Leslie Izzard
COO, CFO & Directorless than a yearno datano data
Ian Houghton
Legal Director & Company Secretary26.3yrsno datano data

5.2yrs

Average Tenure

51yo

Average Age

Experienced Management: SMWH's management team is seasoned and experienced (5.2 years average tenure).

Board Members

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Carl Cowling
Group Chief Executive & Director5.9yrsUK£2.66m0.048%
£ 779.4k
Maxwell Leslie Izzard
COO, CFO & Directorless than a yearno datano data
Annette Court
Independent Chairman2.3yrsUK£318.00k0.0054%
£ 87.7k
Nicola Dulieu
Independent Non-Executive Director4.3yrsUK£88.00k0.0020%
£ 31.8k
Helen Rose
Non-Executive Directorless than a yearUK£11.00kno data
Situl Jobanputra
Non-Executive Directorless than a yearUK£40.00k0.00098%
£ 15.9k
Simon Emeny
Senior Independent Director5.9yrsUK£80.00kno data
Colette Burke
Independent Non-Executive Director1.5yrsUK£64.00kno data

1.9yrs

Average Tenure

57yo

Average Age

Experienced Board: SMWH's board of directors are not considered experienced ( 1.9 years average tenure), which suggests a new board.

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2025/01/30 02:12
End of Day Share Price 2025/01/30 00:00
Earnings2024/08/31
Annual Earnings2024/08/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more here.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on .

Analyst Sources

WH Smith PLC is covered by 35 analysts. 12 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Richard TaylorBarclays
Benjamin Sandland-TaylorBerenberg
Ian MacdougallBlue Oar Securities