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Associated British Foods (ASBFY) AI Stock Analysis

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ASBFY

Associated British Foods

(Other OTC:ASBFY)

Select Model
Rating:63Neutral
Price Target:$29.00â–²(10.04% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:11/05/26

The score is driven primarily by stable but mixed financial performance—conservative leverage and positive free cash flow are offset by recent margin compression and uneven profitability. Technicals are supportive with price above key moving averages, while valuation is reasonable with a mid-teens P/E and ~3% yield. The latest earnings call tempers the outlook due to guidance for lower 2027 operating profit and EPS and continued sugar-related headwinds.

Positive Factors
Primark expansion and market positionPrimark combines scale, value positioning and continued store expansion, supporting durable customer reach. Its U.K. market-share gain and planned medium-term 4%–5% expansion indicate the brand can grow beyond short-term trading fluctuations.
Negative Factors
Profit and margin compressionDeclining operating profit, EPS and Primark margin show that revenue resilience is not currently translating into comparable earnings growth. Persistent investment, markdowns and weaker like-for-like sales could keep returns and cash available for reinvestment under pressure.

Associated British Foods Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Revenue by SegmentShows how much each business unit contributes to overall sales, highlighting areas of strength and potential growth or risk within the company's diverse operations.

£0.00£2.50B£5.00B£7.50B£10.00BFeb 21Sep 21Mar 22Sep 22Mar 23Sep 23Mar 24Sep 24
Chart Insights

Associated British Foods' Retail segment has shown robust growth, indicating strong consumer demand and effective retail strategies. The Sugar segment also experienced significant revenue increases, suggesting favorable market conditions or pricing strategies. However, the Agriculture segment is facing a downward trend, which could signal challenges in that area. Overall, the company's diversified portfolio seems to be balancing out sector-specific fluctuations, with Retail and Sugar providing a solid foundation for revenue growth.

Data provided by:The Fly

Associated British Foods (ASBFY) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-15%-10%-5%0%5%10%15%20%ASBFY-2.29%SPY+14.30%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$18.53B
Dividend Yield
3.16%
Average Volume (3M)
46.76K
Price to Earnings (P/E)
15.0
Beta (1Y)
0.16
Revenue Growth
3.15%
EPS Growth
-4.43%
Country
US
Employees
140,000
Sector
Consumer Defensive
Sector Strength
62
Industry
Packaged Foods

Associated British Foods Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a global diversified enterprise, encompassing significant operations in food production, ingredient manufacturing, and retail. Its activities are organized across five principal segments: Grocery, Sugar, Agricult...

How the Company Makes Money

ABF generates revenue through a portfolio of operating segments with different business models. (1) Primark: Primark earns money by designing, sourcing, and selling apparel, accessories, and homeware through its own brick-and-mortar retail stores. Re...

Associated British Foods Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 03, 2026(Q4-2026)|% Change Since:1.09%|Next Earnings Date:Jan 14, 2021
Earnings Call SentimentNeutral

The call presented substantial strategic progress, investment and long-term growth initiatives across Primark and AB Foods, including Primark's U.K. recovery, franchise expansion, Hovis integration and capacity additions. However, the near-term financial picture was pressured by a 14% decline in adjusted operating profit, lower Primark margins and like-for-like sales, weakness in U.S. oils and ingredients, a significant sugar loss, and guidance for adjusted operating profit and EPS to decline again in 2027. The positive strategic outlook and strong balance sheet were balanced by significant current and near-term operating challenges.

Positive Updates

Strategic and Operational Progress
Management described 2026 as a year of good strategic and operational progress across the group despite a difficult operating environment, with progress on important projects in Primark and AB Foods.

Negative Updates

Decline in Group Profit and Earnings
Group adjusted operating profit fell 14% at constant currency to GBP 1.5 billion, primarily because of lower Primark profit and lower profit in the food businesses. Adjusted EPS declined 10.8% to 156p, or 11% as stated in the opening remarks.

Company Guidance

For 2027, AB Foods expects group adjusted operating profit and adjusted EPS to be below 2026, mainly due to sugar; Grocery adjusted operating profit is expected to be broadly in line with 2026, with sales growth in most brands and businesses offset by higher input costs and a one-off impact from consolidating Hovis' losses in the first year of ownership. Group CapEx is expected to remain at a similar level in 2027, while CapEx in AB Foods is expected to start to reduce in 2028; Primark is targeting 4% to 5% medium-term expansion, and home delivery in the U.K. is planned to launch by the end of the calendar year next year. Hovis production and distribution synergies are expected to start to come through from the second half of 2027 and be accretive to earnings in 2028, while the anticipated devaluation of the Malawian currency has been factored into 2027 figures and 2027 results will not really benefit from high European sugar prices.

Associated British Foods Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Overall financial profile is stable but not accelerating. The balance sheet is relatively conservative (moderate debt-to-equity and stable equity), and free cash flow is positive with improvement in the most recent year. Offsetting this, profitability has become less consistent: net margins stepped down into 2026 and the latest annual gross margin is notably weaker versus prior years, indicating cost/mix pressure and reducing earnings quality.

Income Statement

56Neutral

Balance Sheet

72Positive

Cash Flow

64Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMSep 2026Sep 2025Sep 2024Sep 2023Sep 2022
Income Statement
Total Revenue19.63B19.92B19.46B20.07B19.75B17.00B
Gross Profit1.39B1.41B4.66B4.88B4.16B3.78B
EBITDA1.89B1.41B2.65B3.13B2.48B2.13B
Net Income932.17M945.82M1.02B1.46B1.04B700.00M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets20.40B20.40B19.29B19.01B18.84B19.77B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments1.02B1.02B1.06B1.66B1.46B2.13B
Total Debt3.85B3.88B3.69B3.68B3.72B3.89B
Total Liabilities8.55B8.55B8.11B7.74B7.65B8.22B
Stockholders Equity11.68B11.68B11.06B11.19B11.09B11.45B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.28B1.30B997.00M1.69B581.00M384.00M
Operating Cash Flow2.45B2.48B2.23B2.87B1.65B1.15B
Investing Cash Flow-1.41B-1.43B-721.00M-1.33B-906.00M-744.00M
Financing Cash Flow-1.05B-1.07B-1.79B-1.57B-1.28B-677.00M

Associated British Foods Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price26.35

Price Trends

50DMA25.46Positive
100DMA26.32Positive
200DMA25.68Positive

Market Momentum

MACD0.38Negative
RSI54.06Neutral
STOCH65.85Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ASBFY, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 26.35 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 26.08, above the 50-day MA of 25.46, and above the 200-day MA of 25.68, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.38 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 54.06 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 65.85 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ASBFY.

Associated British Foods Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (62)

Financial Indicators

ASBFY against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
MKCMKC77Outperform$12.57B8.4622.32%4.09%13.23%91.32%
ASBFYASBFY63Neutral$18.65B15.038.06%3.16%3.15%-4.43%
INGRINGR63Neutral$5.73B10.4412.58%3.54%-0.98%-12.90%
Sector *62Neutral$20.33B14.63-3.31%3.23%1.93%-12.26%
KHCKHC58Neutral$28.70B-8.31-8.91%6.59%-1.53%21.36%
GISGIS48Neutral$18.50B-20.73-10.69%7.13%-4.49%-131.46%
CAGCAG46Neutral$7.25B-3.73-26.28%7.08%-1.80%-323.82%

* Consumer Defensive Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-30%-20%-10%0%10%ASBFYCAGGISMKCINGRKHCDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
ASBFY and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
ASBFYAssociated British Foods Plc26.35-1.27-4.61%
CAGConagra Brands14.83-1.48-9.09%
GISGeneral Mills Inc34.21-10.14-22.86%
MKCMcCormick & Company Inc46.94-16.11-25.55%
INGRIngredion92.83-11.42-10.96%
KHCKraft Heinz Co24.271.014.36%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Nov 05, 2026