Picture supply: Getty Photos
Greggs (LSE:GRG) has lengthy been a darling of the UK excessive road. Its fame for value-for-money sausage rolls and pastries has made it a family favorite. Nonetheless, 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 contemplate 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 enlargement can ship the identical returns as previously.
Like-for-like gross sales development slowed to only 1.7% firstly of 2025, though improved buying and selling situations later within the yr lifted this to 2.9% by Might. Regardless of report revenues in 2024 and a pipeline of latest 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 foremost challenges for Greggs is value inflation. The corporate faces an estimated £45m in further 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 further prices are anticipated to compress margins within the quick time period. These problem have led to a consensus opinion that earnings for 2025 can be flat or barely down. That’s regardless of an anticipated 8% rise in income.
Enhancing valuation
The valuation’s now extra enticing than it has been in years. The ahead price-to-earnings ratio’s dropped to round 13 occasions for 2025. This falls additional to 12.4 occasions in 2026 and 12 occasions in 2027.
That is properly 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 foremost attraction, with a forecast of almost 4% for 2025. It rises above 4% within the following years and is properly lined by earnings and supported by sturdy money era. For revenue buyers, this can be a real brilliant spot.
The underside line
For all of the speak of development and model energy, Greggs stays, at its core, a sausage roll maker. Whereas the corporate’s bold enlargement into drive-throughs and transport hubs may unlock new markets, the valuation nonetheless appears to be like a bit 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 contemplate. Nonetheless, I admire some buyers might worth the corporate’s above-average and rising dividend yield. Ultimately although, I imagine the shares are a bit dear for what they could provide.
