Picture supply: Getty Photos
Greggs (LSE:GRG) has lengthy been a darling of the UK excessive avenue. Its popularity for value-for-money sausage rolls and pastries has made it a family favorite. Nevertheless, Greggs shares have been sliding and fairly rightly so, in my view. However after a bruising begin to the yr, it’s value asking is there any purpose to think about shopping for the inventory?
FTSE 250 laggard
This yr, Greggs’ shares have been among the many FTSE 250’s worst performers, slumping by over 35%. The sell-off has been pushed by a cocktail of slowing gross sales development, rising prices, and investor nerves about whether or not the corporate’s fast growth can ship the identical returns as previously.
Like-for-like gross sales development slowed to simply 1.7% at first of 2025, though improved buying and selling situations later within the yr lifted this to 2.9% by Could. Regardless of report revenues in 2024 and a pipeline of recent retailer openings — administration stays assured of including 140-150 web new retailers in 2025 — the expansion story has hit a pace bump.
One of many important challenges for Greggs is price inflation. The corporate faces an estimated £45m in additional wage and Nationwide Insurance coverage prices this yr, equal to round 22% of final yr’s pre-tax revenue.
And whereas Greggs is investing closely in a brand new provide chain infrastructure, which can assist long-term development, these additional prices are anticipated to compress margins within the brief time period. These problem have led to a consensus opinion that income for 2025 can be flat or barely down. That’s regardless of an anticipated 8% rise in income.
Bettering valuation
The valuation’s now extra enticing than it has been in years. The ahead price-to-earnings ratio’s dropped to round 13 instances for 2025. This falls additional to 12.4 instances in 2026 and 12 instances in 2027.
That is effectively beneath the multiples buyers paid throughout Greggs’ increase years and brings the shares according to extra mature, slower-growing retailers. The dividend yield‘s now the inventory’s important attraction, with a forecast of almost 4% for 2025. It rises above 4% within the following years and is effectively coated by earnings and supported by robust money era. For earnings buyers, it is a real vibrant spot.
The underside line
For all of the speak of development and model power, Greggs stays, at its core, a sausage roll maker. Whereas the corporate’s formidable growth into drive-throughs and transport hubs may unlock new markets, the valuation nonetheless appears to be like just a little wealthy. Particularly for a enterprise so uncovered to the UK’s cost-of-living pressures and wage inflation.
Personally, it’s not an funding I’m going to think about. Nevertheless, I recognize some buyers could worth the corporate’s above-average and rising dividend yield. Ultimately although, I consider the shares are just a little dear for what they could supply.
