# Cranswick plc (CWK.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Consumer Defensive / Food & Staples Retailing. Price 5203p, market value 2.8 billionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 17.9×** (5-yr avg 1798.8×, 3-yr avg 1915.3×). Cranswick plc trades at 17.9× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 1798.8×: cheap by its own standards. The Consumer Defensive median in the September 2026 study was 20.1×. Forward P/E is 15.4×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 0.86**. A PEG of 0.86 means the P/E is low relative to expected earnings growth: the market is not paying much for that growth.
- **Price / sales: 0.5×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.5×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 2.6×**. The shares trade at 2.6× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 4.9×**. Enterprise value is 4.9× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 6.5%** (5-yr avg 0.0%). Free cash flow equals 6.5% of the market value, above its five-year average of 0.0%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 5.6%**. The inverse of the P/E: 5.6% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 15.6%**. Cranswick plc keeps 15.6% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, a thin margin typical of retail, distribution and commodity businesses.
- **Operating margin: 7.5%**. 7.5% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 5.3%**. 5.3% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 14.5%**. 14.5% on shareholders' equity is solid.
- **Return on invested capital: 23.6%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 23.6%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 16.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 16.8% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 9.5%** (3-yr 8.7%/yr, 5-yr 9.5%/yr). Revenue grew 9.5% over the last year, against 9.5% a year compounded over five years.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 17.9%** (3-yr 11.7%/yr, 5-yr 10.6%/yr). Earnings per share rose 17.9%, faster than revenue, so margins expanded or the share count shrank.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 16.9%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 16.9% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.23**. Debt is 0.23 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.4×**. It would take 0.4 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Interest coverage: 16.2×**. Operating profit covers interest 16.2× over, a safe margin.
- **Current ratio: 1.76** (quick 1.13). Current assets cover the next year's liabilities 1.76 times.
- **Altman Z-score: 5.81**. A Z-score of 5.81 places the company in the safe zone for bankruptcy risk.
- **Piotroski F-score: 6/9**. 6 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 2.15%** (1p per share, trailing). Cranswick plc yields 2.15%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 35%** (58% of free cash flow). 35% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 22**. 22 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 10.5%/yr** (1-yr 11.6%). The dividend has compounded at 10.5% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 7 years at that pace.
- **Shareholder yield: 3.4%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 3.4% of the market value a year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 1.8%** (YTD 5.4%, 3-mo -5.4%). The shares are up 1.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -10.5%** (9.0% above the low). Trading 10% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 38**. An RSI of 38 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.56** (volatility 18%). Beta of 0.56 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CWK.L · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/cwk.l

Not investment advice.