# Premier Foods plc (PFD.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Consumer Defensive / Food & Staples Retailing. Price 195p, market value 1.7 billionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 13.0×** (5-yr avg 1240.2×, 3-yr avg 1231.5×). Premier Foods plc trades at 13.0× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 1240.2×: cheap by its own standards. The Consumer Defensive median in the September 2026 study was 20.1×. Forward P/E is 11.6×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 1.63**. A PEG of 1.63 is in the range usually read as fairly priced for its growth.
- **Price / sales: 0.7×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.7×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 1.2×**. The shares trade at 1.2× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **EV / EBITDA: 3.6×**. Enterprise value is 3.6× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 14.2%** (5-yr avg 0.1%). Free cash flow equals 14.2% 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: 7.7%**. The inverse of the P/E: 7.7% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 36.2%**. Premier Foods plc keeps 36.2% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells.
- **Operating margin: 17.0%**. 17.0% of revenue is left after running the business, a healthy level in most sectors.
- **Net margin: 11.6%**. 11.6% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 9.7%**. 9.7% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 19.9%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 19.9%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 11.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 11.8% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 2.3%** (3-yr 5.3%/yr, 5-yr 4.4%/yr). Revenue grew 2.3% over the last year, against 4.4% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 7.1%** (3-yr 14.5%/yr, 5-yr 4.6%/yr). Earnings per share rose 7.1%, roughly in step with revenue.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 26.1%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 26.1% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.24**. Debt is 0.24 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.2×**. It would take 0.2 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Interest coverage: 7.3×**. Operating profit covers interest 7.3× over, a safe margin.
- **Current ratio: 0.75** (quick 0.56). 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: 2.88**. A Z-score of 2.88 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 8/9**. 8 of 9 fundamental checks pass: strong and improving financials.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.72%** (0p per share, trailing). Premier Foods plc yields 1.72%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 18%** (10% of free cash flow). 18% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 5**. 5 straight years of increases.
- **Shareholder yield: 3.0%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 3.0% of the market value a year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 5.0%** (YTD 13.8%, 3-mo -1.0%). The shares are up 5.0% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -7.7%** (18.2% above the low). Trading 8% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 50**. An RSI of 50 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.36** (volatility 20%). Beta of 0.36 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move much less than the market.

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

Not investment advice.