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Cranswick plc (CWK.L)

Consumer Defensive Out of favour

Ever wonder who supplies the sausages, bacon and cooked meats filling British supermarket chillers? Usually, it is Cranswick.

£53.50

Is Cranswick plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Ever wonder who supplies the sausages, bacon and cooked meats filling British supermarket chillers? Usually, it is Cranswick.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price+12.3%
52-week range+4% past year
£53.50
Low £47.75High £58.10
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Cranswick plc
£1,123+12%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£2.86B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
157.97K
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£53.50 – £55.80
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£47.75 – £58.10
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
18.4
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
2.1%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.56
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.56
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▼ -0% past week · ▲ +4% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

long-term market share gains and continued dividend growth

The bear case

structural shifts in diets away from meat or severe supply chain shocks

What does Cranswick plc do?

Cranswick is a major British food producer that turns farm livestock into everyday supermarket staples like pork, poultry, and gourmet continental foods. It makes its money by partnering closely with big grocery chains to keep shelves stocked with bacon, fresh cuts, and ready-to-eat products. The key detail to keep an eye on is how successfully they manage shifting farming costs and supermarket price pressures without losing their slice of the pie.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and income, and weakest on momentum.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 39Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 50Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 62Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 31Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 60
Quick checks
What's strong
  • deeply embedded relationships with major UK supermarkets
  • consistent history of paying dividends
  • solid earnings growth outpacing general revenue gains
What to watch
  • Momentum screens low (31/100)
  • outbreaks of livestock disease impacting supply
  • intense pricing pressure from powerful supermarket buyers
  • wage inflation in factories and processing plants

What do Cranswick plc's numbers mean?

P/E
18.4
This tells us investors are currently paying about 18 times the company's past annual earnings for its shares, reflecting steady demand for food.
Gross margin
15.9%
For every pound of bangers and bacon sold, about 16 pence is left over after paying for the direct costs of ingredients and factory production.
Return on equity
15.2%
This measures how efficiently the business turns shareholder money into actual profit, sitting at a respectable fifteen percent.
Dividend yield
2.1%
The cash payout returned to shareholders relative to the share price, offering a modest regular sweetener on top of any share price moves.

Does Cranswick plc pay a dividend?

Yes - Cranswick plc currently pays a dividend of about 2.1% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

More in Consumer Defensive

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What are the scenarios for Cranswick plc?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£61£54£44today · £54▲ Bull · £58• Base · £54▼ Bear · £47in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+5% to +12%strong festive meat sales beat expectations
Base
-2% to +4%steady week-in, week-out supermarket demand
Bear
-8% to -15%sudden spikes in animal feed costs squeeze margins

What are the pros and cons of Cranswick plc?

4bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case4
  • deeply embedded relationships with major UK supermarkets
  • consistent history of paying dividends
  • solid earnings growth outpacing general revenue gains
  • defensive business model supplying everyday food essentials
The catch3
  • operates in a notoriously low-margin industry
  • vulnerable to animal feed price volatility
  • heavy reliance on the UK grocery market
Key risks3
  • outbreaks of livestock disease impacting supply
  • intense pricing pressure from powerful supermarket buyers
  • wage inflation in factories and processing plants
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: GBP · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-01. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.