Associated British Foods’ (ABF) “Underperform” Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed their underperform rating on shares of Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a GBX 1,650 target price on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Associated British Foods in a report on Friday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Associated British Foods to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from GBX 2,050 to GBX 1,850 in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Associated British Foods from GBX 2,095 to GBX 1,940 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Associated British Foods from GBX 2,100 to GBX 1,925 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Associated British Foods from GBX 1,710 to GBX 1,600 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of GBX 1,761.

Associated British Foods Stock Performance

ABF opened at GBX 1,836.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of £12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 1,883.35 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 2,018.11. Associated British Foods has a fifty-two week low of GBX 1,729.45 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 2,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.63, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.51.

Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported GBX 62.70 EPS for the quarter. Associated British Foods had a net margin of 4.89% and a return on equity of 8.44%. The business had revenue of GBX 947 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Associated British Foods will post 188.0990415 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Loraine Woodhouse acquired 1,074 shares of Associated British Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 1,853 per share, with a total value of £19,901.22. Corporate insiders own 1.51% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Associated British Foods

Here are the key news stories impacting Associated British Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ABF announced plans to spin off Primark into a standalone retailer (targeted for 2027), a move presented as intended to “unlock group value” by separating the fast-growing retail business from the food ingredients and grocery operations. This demerger could lead to clearer valuations for both businesses and a potential re-rating of ABF and Primark as independent stocks. Primark Will Become a Stand-alone Retail Company Following Its Separation From ABF in 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Insider buying: director Loraine Woodhouse bought 1,074 ABF shares at an average of GBX 1,853 (total ~£19,901), a small but positive signal of management confidence ahead of the demerger process.
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media/analyst take: some outlets are framing the demerger as a buy opportunity, which can attract bargain-hunting investors expecting value realization from the split. Time to buy Associated British Foods (ABF) shares after this exciting news?
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results: ABF reported GBX 62.70 EPS and revenue of GBX 947 billion for the quarter, with a net margin of 5.27% and ROE of 9.30%. Results provide baseline performance data but have not decisively resolved questions about near-term growth vs. value unlock from the demerger. Associated British Foods earnings release and call
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating with a GBX 1,925 price target, signalling cautious optimism but limited near-term upside from current levels. Deutsche Bank reaffirms hold
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated an “underperform” rating on ABF, which adds downward pressure by endorsing selling/avoidance among institutional investors. Jefferies reiterates underperform
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target from GBX 1,940 to GBX 1,780 and kept a “neutral” rating — a material PT downgrade that reduces analyst-implied upside and can trigger selling or dampen buying interest. JPMorgan lowers price target
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term market reaction pieces note share weakness after the announcement and broker activity, reflecting profit-taking and repositioning ahead of the lengthy demerger process. Associated British Foods falls, underperforms market

About Associated British Foods

Associated British Foods is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £13.9bn, 128,000 employees and operations in 53 countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia.

Our purpose is to provide safe, nutritious, affordable food, and clothing that is great value for money. With the breadth of our business, our brands and global reach, ABF aims to consistently deliver value to its stakeholders.

Our business is split into five segments: Grocery; Sugar; Agriculture; Ingredients; and Retail.