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PZ Cussons plc (PZC.L)

Consumer Defensive Balanced

A household name in British bathrooms, PZ Cussons makes everyday soap and beauty products alongside massive brands in Nigeria.

£1.11

Is PZ Cussons plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: A household name in British bathrooms, PZ Cussons makes everyday soap and beauty products alongside massive brands in Nigeria.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price+4.7%
52-week range+50% past year
£1.11
Low £0.65High £1.14
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into PZ Cussons plc
£1,047+5%

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'.
£465.75M
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
918.34K
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£1.10 – £1.13
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£0.65 – £1.14
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
3.2%
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.
0.52
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. 0.52
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 · ▲ +50% 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

international expansion and growing middle classes in core markets

The bear case

loss of market share to cheaper supermarket own-brands

What does PZ Cussons plc do?

Famous for Imperial Leather and Carex, this century-old firm creates everyday toiletries and baby care items found in supermarkets worldwide. It brings in cash by selling these trusty essentials to shoppers, though it has recently wrestled with currency swings in overseas markets like Nigeria. The key thing to keep an eye on is how well management can protect its profit margins while costs bounce around.

VQGMI
Factor profile

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

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 51Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 29Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 62Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 93Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 45
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Momentum screens high (93/100)
  • Owns well-known household brands that people recognise on supermarket shelves
  • Steady demand for everyday essentials like soap and shower gel
  • Offers a decent dividend payout relative to the share price
What to watch
  • Quality screens low (29/100)
  • Foreign exchange volatility, particularly involving the Nigerian Naira
  • Tough competition from supermarket own-label toiletries
  • Fluctuating costs for ingredients and packaging materials

What do PZ Cussons plc's numbers mean?

Forward P/E
14.1
This shows you are paying roughly fourteen times the company's expected future earnings, which is a way to see if the share price looks steep or modest compared to its profits.
Gross Margin
39.8%
For every pound of goods sold, about forty pence remains after paying the direct cost of making the products, before overheads are counted.
Dividend Yield
3.2%
This tells you the annual cash payout paid to shareholders as a percentage of the current share price.
Beta
0.5
A score below one means the share price tends to swing around less wildly than the wider stock market.

Does PZ Cussons plc pay a dividend?

Yes - PZ Cussons plc currently pays a dividend of about 3.2% 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 PZ Cussons plc?

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

£1£1£1today · £1▲ Bull · £1• Base · £1▼ Bear · £1in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +20%smooth currency conditions in Nigeria and solid soap sales
Base
-5% to +5%steady demand with no major surprises
Bear
-15% to -25%unexpected supply chain snags or rising raw material expenses

What are the pros and cons of PZ Cussons 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
  • Owns well-known household brands that people recognise on supermarket shelves
  • Steady demand for everyday essentials like soap and shower gel
  • Offers a decent dividend payout relative to the share price
The catch3
  • Net profit margin sits in negative territory, showing it struggles to keep bottom-line profit after all expenses
  • Return on equity is very low at under one percent
  • Exposed to tricky currency movements in overseas markets
Key risks3
  • Foreign exchange volatility, particularly involving the Nigerian Naira
  • Tough competition from supermarket own-label toiletries
  • Fluctuating costs for ingredients and packaging materials
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: pe · 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.