Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) Stock Price Down 10.4% – Should You Sell?

08 Jan 2026, 19:30 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF – Get Free Report)’s share price dropped 10.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as GBX 1,844 and last traded at GBX 1,926.58. Approximately 4,048,014 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 8,639,694 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,151.

Key Headlines Impacting Associated British Foods

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

Neutral Sentiment: ABF and Hovis asked the UK regulator to fast‑track the takeover review; the CMA accepted the request to move straight to a Phase 2 investigation, meaning a full, detailed probe rather than a quick clearance — this increases timeline and uncertainty around the transaction. ABF, Hovis ask UK regulator to fast-track takeover review
Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes ABF is underperforming the market amid the news flow, reinforcing downward pressure while liquidity and intraday volume remain elevated. Associated British Foods slips Thursday, underperforms market
Negative Sentiment: Primark issued a profit warning after weaker holiday trading and a slump in fashion/beauty sales, which directly hit ABF’s near‑term profit outlook and was cited as the main reason for the share move. Primark owner ABF shares slide after profit warning
Negative Sentiment: Retail sales data from the holiday period show fashion and beauty categories shrinking at peers (e.g., Marks & Spencer and Primark), reinforcing concerns that consumer demand softened over the crucial trading season. Primark, Marks & Spencer See Fashion, Beauty Sales Shrink During Key Holiday Trading Period
Negative Sentiment: The UK competition watchdog has opened formal scrutiny of ABF’s planned acquisition of Hovis (Kingsmill owner), raising the prospect of remedies, delay or even a blocked deal — an additional overhang for investors assessing transaction value and integration upside. UK competition watchdog to investigate Kingsmill owner’s planned takeover of Hovis

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABF has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Associated British Foods in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Associated British Foods from GBX 1,830 to GBX 1,840 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Associated British Foods from GBX 2,215 to GBX 2,095 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Associated British Foods to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from GBX 2,130 to GBX 2,000 in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 2,058.75.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ABF

Associated British Foods Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 2,149.47 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 2,150.33. The stock has a market capitalization of £13.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.88.

Associated British Foods (LON:ABF – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported GBX 174.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Associated British Foods had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 7.25%. Analysts forecast that Associated British Foods plc will post 188.0990415 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Associated British Foods

In other news, insider Eoin Tonge sold 34,818 shares of Associated British Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,103, for a total transaction of £732,222.54. Also, insider George G. Weston sold 43,660 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,103, for a total transaction of £918,169.80. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Associated British Foods Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.