# Future plc (FUTR.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Communication Services / Diversified Telecommunication Services. Price 287p, market value 253 millionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 7.8×** (5-yr avg 2235.1×, 3-yr avg 1170.0×). Future plc trades at 7.8× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 2235.1×: cheap by its own standards. The Communication Services median in the September 2026 study was 21.1×. Forward P/E is 2.8×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 0.2×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.2×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 0.3×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 1.5×**. Enterprise value is 1.5× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 99.8%** (5-yr avg 0.1%). Free cash flow equals 99.8% of the market value, above its five-year average of 0.1%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 12.9%**. The inverse of the P/E: 12.9% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 35.6%**. Future plc keeps 35.6% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells.
- **Operating margin: 17.1%**. 17.1% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 9.0%**. 9.0% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 6.4%**. 6.4% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 14.1%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 14.1%.
- **Return on assets: 7.4%**. Each dollar of assets produces 7.4% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -6.2%** (3-yr -3.6%/yr, 5-yr 16.8%/yr). Revenue fell 6.2% over the last year, against 16.8% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -7.5%** (3-yr -15.0%/yr, 5-yr 6.6%/yr). Earnings per share fell 7.5%, roughly in step with revenue.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): -15.8%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at -15.8% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.32**. Debt is 0.32 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.8×**. It would take 0.8 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Interest coverage: 4.4×**. Operating profit covers interest 4.4× over, a safe margin.
- **Current ratio: 0.96** (quick 0.95). Current liabilities exceed current assets, so the company depends on ongoing cash generation or refinancing to pay the next year's bills.
- **Altman Z-score: 1.87**. A Z-score of 1.87 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 5.73%** (0p per share, trailing). Future plc yields 5.73%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 6%** (8% of free cash flow). 6% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 7**. 7 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 27.7%/yr** (1-yr 0.0%). The dividend has compounded at 27.7% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 3 years at that pace.
- **Shareholder yield: 73.3%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 73.3% of the market value a year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -61.6%** (YTD -44.3%, 3-mo -4.7%). The shares are down 61.6% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -62.8%** (9.4% above the low). Trading 63% below its 52-week high, deep in a drawdown.
- **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): 0.15** (volatility 47%). Beta of 0.15 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move much less than the market.

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

Not investment advice.