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Greencore Group plc (GNC.L)

Consumer Defensive Balanced

Greencore quietly feeds millions across the UK every day by turning out millions of ready meals, sandwiches, and salads for major supermarkets.

£2.60

Is Greencore Group plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Greencore quietly feeds millions across the UK every day by turning out millions of ready meals, sandwiches, and salads for major supermarkets.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price+44.5%
52-week range-11% past year
£2.60
Low £1.91High £3.08
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Greencore Group plc
£1,445+45%

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'.
£2.06B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
3.73M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£2.57 – £2.61
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£1.91 – £3.08
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.
130.2
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
1.0%
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.
0.81
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. 0.81
Calm
Wild
Roughly in step with the market

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?▲ +15% past week · ▼ -11% 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 shifts toward convenience food solidifying market dominance.

The bear case

structural rise in operational costs eroding the slim bottom line entirely.

What does Greencore Group plc do?

Whenever you grab a quick meal deal from a high-street chiller cabinet, there is a strong chance Greencore made it behind the scenes. Revenue comes from supplying massive UK supermarkets with high-volume, fresh convenience food day after day. Margins are the number that matters here, so watch how well they defend them while absorbing fluctuating ingredient costs and paying fair wages to their huge workforce.

VQGMI
Factor profile

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

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 48Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 24Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 94Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 50Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 17
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Growth screens high (94/100)
  • Deeply embedded relationships with major UK supermarkets
  • Essential everyday product range that people consume regardless of economic weather
  • Solid asset backing with a price-to-book ratio around 1.0
What to watch
  • Quality screens low (24/100)
  • Income screens low (17/100)
  • Wage inflation impacting large-scale factory staffing costs
  • Supply chain disruptions affecting fresh ingredient deliveries
  • Intense pressure from supermarket partners to keep wholesale prices low

What do Greencore Group plc's numbers mean?

Forward P/E
11.1
This estimates the share price against expected future earnings over the coming year, suggesting the market expects profitability to pick up.
Gross margin
32.3%
This shows how much money is left over after paying for the direct costs of making the food, before running the factories and offices.
Net margin
0.3%
This reveals how remarkably thin the final slice of profit is once every single business expense has been settled.
Dividend yield
1.0%
This is the annual cash payout paid to shareholders relative to the share price, offering a modest regular return.

Does Greencore Group plc pay a dividend?

Yes - Greencore Group plc currently pays a dividend of about 1.0% 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 Greencore Group plc?

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

£3£3£2today · £3▲ Bull · £3• Base · £3▼ Bear · £2in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +18%stronger seasonal sales from busy shoppers picking up quick meals.
Base
+2% to +8%steady supermarket demand matching typical everyday shopping habits.
Bear
-10% to -18%unexpected spikes in food ingredient costs squeezing thin profits.

What are the pros and cons of Greencore Group plc?

3bull points
6bear points

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

The bull case3
  • Deeply embedded relationships with major UK supermarkets
  • Essential everyday product range that people consume regardless of economic weather
  • Solid asset backing with a price-to-book ratio around 1.0
The catch3
  • Extremely thin net profit margins leave little room for operational error
  • Heavy reliance on a handful of massive supermarket retail clients
  • Vulnerable to sudden increases in agricultural and ingredient prices
Key risks3
  • Wage inflation impacting large-scale factory staffing costs
  • Supply chain disruptions affecting fresh ingredient deliveries
  • Intense pressure from supermarket partners to keep wholesale prices low
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: earnings_growth · 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.