Associated British Foods/£ABF
1D1W1M3M6MYTD1Y5YMAX
Capital at risk
About Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods is a diversified international food, ingredients, and retail group headquartered in London, UK. The company operates through segments such as Grocery, Sugar, Agriculture, Ingredients, and Retail, with the retail division primarily consisting of the fashion retail chain Primark. Noteworthy for its broad product range, the company's Grocery segment includes brands involved in the production of staples like bread and cereals, while Ingredients focuses on yeast and bakery supplies. Founded in 1935, Associated British Foods has established a global presence, with operations spread across Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Its strategic positioning is underpinned by its diversification across industries and geographies, which provides resilience against sector-specific volatility.
- Ticker
- £ABF
- Sector
- Consumer Essentials
- Primary listing
- LSE
- Employees
- 138,000
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Website
- www.abf.co.uk
ABF Metrics
BasicAdvanced
£14B
14.51
£1.33
0.81
£0.63
3.26%
Price and volume
Market cap
£14B
Beta
0.81
52-week high
£23.59
52-week low
£17.29
Average daily volume
806K
Dividend rate
£0.63
Financial strength
Current ratio
1.507
Quick ratio
0.627
Long term debt to equity
0.261
Total debt to equity
0.322
Dividend payout ratio (TTM)
26.43%
Interest coverage (TTM)
11.10%
Profitability
EBITDA (TTM)
2,204
Gross margin (TTM)
7.43%
Net profit margin (TTM)
4.89%
Operating margin (TTM)
7.77%
Effective tax rate (TTM)
29.05%
Revenue per employee (TTM)
£140,000
Management effectiveness
Return on assets (TTM)
4.92%
Return on equity (TTM)
8.45%
Valuation
Price to earnings (TTM)
14.506
Price to revenue (TTM)
0.71
Price to book
1.2
Price to tangible book (TTM)
1.45
Price to free cash flow (TTM)
13.013
Free cash flow yield (TTM)
7.68%
Free cash flow per share (TTM)
1.485
Dividend yield (TTM)
3.26%
Growth
Revenue change (TTM)
-2.16%
Earnings per share change (TTM)
-25.03%
3-year revenue growth (CAGR)
1.31%
10-year revenue growth (CAGR)
4.36%
3-year earnings per share growth (CAGR)
11.84%
10-year earnings per share growth (CAGR)
3.59%
3-year dividend per share growth (CAGR)
12.62%
10-year dividend per share growth (CAGR)
5.96%
What the Analysts think about ABF
Analyst ratings (Buy, Hold, Sell) for Associated British Foods stock.
Analyst projections of the future price of Associated British Foods stock.
Bulls say / Bears say
ABF expects 2026 adjusted earnings per share to exceed expectations, while group operating profit remains broadly in line with its previous guidance. This points to better earnings resilience than the weak retail and sugar headlines alone suggest. (Investegate)
Grocery and Ingredients delivered growth, with fourth-quarter sales expected to rise at a mid-single-digit rate and by about 10% respectively. ABF also expects Hovis integration to bring production and distribution synergies, supporting a possible improvement in Grocery profits after 2026. (Investegate, Retail Gazette)
Primark is adding new stores and franchise markets, which contributed about five percentage points to its sales growth, and plans to introduce home delivery in Great Britain. These channels offer room to grow beyond its existing store base, while its 2026 operating margin is expected to remain around 10%. (Reuters, Investegate)
Sugar is a major earnings risk: ABF expects a 2026 operating loss near the top of its £25m–£60m range and has warned that the loss could reach £70m–£170m in 2027. Weak European prices, higher gas costs and poor crop yields are weighing on the division. (Investegate, Reuters)
Primark's total sales growth is masking weaker existing-store demand: like-for-like sales are expected to fall 2.6% for 2026, including a roughly 3% decline in the fourth quarter. Continental Europe remains especially difficult, making growth more dependent on store openings and franchises. (Investegate, Reuters)
Trading weakness is not confined to Sugar and Primark: Agriculture sales fell 14% in the third quarter as compound-feed sales declined, while Grocery profit is now expected to be slightly below the prior view after weaker Twinings and Ovaltine performance. That reduces the cushion from ABF's wider food businesses. (ABF, Investegate)
Data summarised monthly by Lightyear AI. Last updated on 7 Oct 2026.
ABF Financial Performance
Revenues and expenses
ABF Earnings Performance
Company profitability
Upcoming events
No upcoming events
Funds containing ABF
AllEURGBPUSD
Fund name | Fund size | £ABF weighting |
|---|---|---|
iShares STOXX Europe 600 Food & Beverage€EXH3 | €319M | 1.38% |
iShares STOXX Europe Mid 200€EXSD | €610M | 0.39% |
iShares Edge MSCI Europe Value Factor€CEMS | €2.6B | 0.25% |
iShares Edge MSCI Europe Value Factor£IEFV | €2.6B | 0.25% |
HSBC MSCI Europe Islamic Screened£HIPS | €144M | 0.23% |
Latest price is delayed by 15 minutes. Data displayed above is indicative only and its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed. Actual execution price may vary. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Your return may be affected by currency fluctuations and applicable fees and charges. Capital at risk.
Market data provided by London Stock Exchange, through Infront.