Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) Shares Down 10.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Associated British Foods plc (LON:ABF) fell 10.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on the stock from GBX 2,100 to GBX 1,925. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a hold rating on the stock. Associated British Foods traded as low as GBX 1,844 and last traded at GBX 1,926.58. 4,048,014 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 8,639,694 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,151.

ABF has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Associated British Foods from GBX 2,095 to GBX 1,940 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Shore Capital cut Associated British Foods to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup upped their price objective on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a GBX 1,650 target price on shares of Associated British Foods in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of GBX 1,931.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Associated British Foods News Summary

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

• Neutral Sentiment: CMA has accepted ABF and Hovis’s request to jump to Phase 2 of the merger investigation — this speeds the formal review process but confirms the takeover will face detailed competition scrutiny. CMA accepts joint ABF/Hovis request to fast-track merger investigation
• Neutral Sentiment: ABF and Hovis formally asked the UK regulator to fast‑track the takeover review — demonstrates the parties want to shorten uncertainty, but it also signals a higher probability of a contested/complex review. ABF, Hovis ask UK regulator to fast-track takeover review
• Negative Sentiment: Primark issued a profit warning and reported weaker fashion & beauty holiday sales, driving the initial sell‑off — Primark is a major earnings driver for ABF, so deterioration in its trading meaningfully lowers near‑term profit visibility. Associated British Foods Shares Plunge as Primark Weakness Weighs on Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Shares plunged roughly double‑digits after the Primark profit warning; that sharp move has triggered analyst re‑ratings and momentum selling. Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) Stock Price Down 10.4% – Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reaffirmed an “underperform” stance and set a GBX 1,650 target — a clear bearish signal from a major broker. Jefferies underperform / PT GBX 1,650
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target from GBX 2,095 to GBX 1,940 and moved to “neutral”, and Deutsche Bank lowered its PT from GBX 2,100 to GBX 1,925 (now “hold”) — these cuts reduce analyst support and can pressure the stock further. JPMorgan & Deutsche price target cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Shore Capital downgraded ABF to “hold”, adding to the wave of less‑constructive broker views. Shore Capital downgrade

Associated British Foods Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of £13.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.88, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 2,132.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 2,147.53.

Associated British Foods (LON:ABF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported GBX 174.90 EPS for the quarter. Associated British Foods had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 13.07%. On average, analysts expect that Associated British Foods plc will post 188.0990415 EPS for the current year.

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.