WH Smith (SMWH) Competitors

GBX 513.89 -7.47 (-1.43%)

As of 05/8/2026 12:51 PM Eastern

SMWH vs. GNS, CPG, KYGA, CAR, and PRP

Should you be buying WH Smith stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of WH Smith include Genus (GNS), Compass Group (CPG), Kerry Group (KYGA), Carclo (CAR), and Prime People (PRP). These companies are all part of the "personal services" industry.

How does WH Smith compare to Genus?

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) and Genus (LON:GNS) are both small-cap personal services companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk and dividends.

WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Genus pays an annual dividend of GBX 32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. WH Smith pays out -17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Genus pays out 45.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. WH Smith is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

WH Smith currently has a consensus price target of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 40.20%. Genus has a consensus price target of GBX 3,216.67, suggesting a potential upside of 38.64%. Given WH Smith's higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Genus.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WH Smith	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Genus	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

WH Smith has a beta of 0.915, suggesting that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Genus has a beta of 0.895, suggesting that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Genus has a net margin of 7.07% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Genus' return on equity of 9.70% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WH Smith	-9.48%	-90.46%	6.62%
Genus	7.07%	9.70%	3.31%

WH Smith has higher revenue and earnings than Genus. WH Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Genus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
WH Smith	£1.59B	0.40	£63.01M	-£96.70	N/A
Genus	£672M	2.29	£7.87M	£71.00	32.68

71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 53.1% of Genus shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of WH Smith shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of Genus shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, WH Smith had 2 more articles in the media than Genus. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Genus. Genus' average media sentiment score of 1.43 beat WH Smith's score of -0.08 indicating that Genus is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
WH Smith	Neutral
Genus	Positive

Summary

WH Smith beats Genus on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Compass Group?

Compass Group (LON:CPG) and WH Smith (LON:SMWH) are both small-cap consumer cyclical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, risk, profitability and dividends.

Compass Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 61.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 210.0%. WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Compass Group pays out 56.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. WH Smith pays out -17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Compass Group currently has a consensus price target of GBX 2,932.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9,840.68%. WH Smith has a consensus price target of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 40.20%. Given Compass Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Compass Group is more favorable than WH Smith.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Compass Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
WH Smith	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Compass Group has a beta of 0.651, suggesting that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WH Smith has a beta of 0.915, suggesting that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Compass Group has a net margin of 4.09% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Compass Group's return on equity of 25.84% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Compass Group	4.09%	25.84%	7.52%
WH Smith	-9.48%	-90.46%	6.62%

Compass Group has higher revenue and earnings than WH Smith. WH Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Compass Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Compass Group	£46.07B	0.01	£1.35B	£109.90	0.27
WH Smith	£1.59B	0.40	£63.01M	-£96.70	N/A

68.2% of Compass Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Compass Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of WH Smith shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Compass Group and Compass Group both had 2 articles in the media. Compass Group's average media sentiment score of 0.68 beat WH Smith's score of -0.08 indicating that Compass Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Compass Group	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
WH Smith	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Summary

Compass Group beats WH Smith on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Kerry Group?

Kerry Group (LON:KYGA) and WH Smith (LON:SMWH) are both small-cap personal services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, dividends and earnings.

Kerry Group has a net margin of 13.10% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Kerry Group's return on equity of 11.11% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Kerry Group	13.10%	11.11%	4.77%
WH Smith	-9.48%	-90.46%	6.62%

Kerry Group has a beta of 0.564, meaning that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WH Smith has a beta of 0.915, meaning that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Kerry Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 131 per share and has a dividend yield of 180.7%. WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Kerry Group pays out 32.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. WH Smith pays out -17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

42.2% of Kerry Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Kerry Group shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of WH Smith shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, WH Smith had 2 more articles in the media than Kerry Group. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Kerry Group. Kerry Group's average media sentiment score of 0.30 beat WH Smith's score of -0.08 indicating that Kerry Group is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Kerry Group	Neutral
WH Smith	Neutral

Kerry Group has higher revenue and earnings than WH Smith. WH Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Kerry Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Kerry Group	£6.76B	0.02	£62.65B	£399.30	0.18
WH Smith	£1.59B	0.40	£63.01M	-£96.70	N/A

Kerry Group presently has a consensus price target of GBX 99, indicating a potential upside of 36.55%. WH Smith has a consensus price target of GBX 720.50, indicating a potential upside of 40.20%. Given WH Smith's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Kerry Group.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Kerry Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
WH Smith	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Summary

Kerry Group beats WH Smith on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Carclo?

Carclo (LON:CAR) and WH Smith (LON:SMWH) are both small-cap consumer cyclical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, dividends and earnings.

Carclo has a net margin of 1.57% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Carclo's return on equity of -17.36% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Carclo	1.57%	-17.36%	2.73%
WH Smith	-9.48%	-90.46%	6.62%

Carclo has a beta of 0.683, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, WH Smith has a beta of 0.915, meaning that its stock price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

WH Smith has a consensus price target of GBX 720.50, indicating a potential upside of 40.20%. Given WH Smith's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Carclo.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Carclo	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
WH Smith	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

21.9% of Carclo shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.3% of Carclo shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of WH Smith shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

WH Smith has higher revenue and earnings than Carclo. WH Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Carclo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Carclo	£117.50M	0.25	-£3.30M	£2.60	15.38
WH Smith	£1.59B	0.40	£63.01M	-£96.70	N/A

In the previous week, WH Smith had 1 more articles in the media than Carclo. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 1 mentions for Carclo. Carclo's average media sentiment score of 0.00 beat WH Smith's score of -0.08 indicating that Carclo is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Carclo	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
WH Smith	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Summary

WH Smith beats Carclo on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Prime People?

Prime People (LON:PRP) and WH Smith (LON:SMWH) are both small-cap personal services companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, profitability, institutional ownership and valuation.

71.9% of WH Smith shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of WH Smith shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Prime People has a net margin of 0.00% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Prime People's return on equity of 0.00% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Prime People	N/A	N/A	N/A
WH Smith	-9.48%	-90.46%	6.62%

WH Smith has higher revenue and earnings than Prime People. WH Smith is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Prime People, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Prime People	£19.72M	0.00	N/A	£6.10	N/A
WH Smith	£1.59B	0.40	£63.01M	-£96.70	N/A

WH Smith has a consensus price target of GBX 720.50, indicating a potential upside of 40.20%. Given WH Smith's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Prime People.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Prime People	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
WH Smith	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

In the previous week, WH Smith had 2 more articles in the media than Prime People. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Prime People. Prime People's average media sentiment score of 0.00 beat WH Smith's score of -0.08 indicating that Prime People is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Prime People	Neutral
WH Smith	Neutral

Summary

WH Smith beats Prime People on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding SMWH and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of LON and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

SMWH vs. The Competition

Export

Metric	WH Smith	Specialty Retail Industry	Cyclical Sector	LON Exchange
Market Cap	£640.80M	£4.33B	£4.01B	£2.76B
Dividend Yield	3.06%	4.44%	3.58%	6.15%
P/E Ratio	-5.31	17.12	72.60	366.07
Price / Sales	0.40	26.38	329.91	88,619.84
Price / Cash	14.36	14.62	30.87	27.89
Price / Book	1.51	10.68	3.25	7.72
Net Income	£63.01M	£141.85M	£249.43M	£5.89B
7 Day Performance	-0.41%	-0.14%	0.99%	63.97%
1 Month Performance	-14.78%	-0.08%	1.38%	4.04%
1 Year Performance	-46.53%	-2.43%	4.32%	87.38%

WH Smith Competitors List

Export

Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
SMWH WH Smith	3.0647 of 5 stars	GBX 513.89 -1.4%	GBX 720.50 +40.2%	N/A	£640.80M	£1.59B	N/A	14,935
GNS Genus	3.9565 of 5 stars	GBX 2,329.81 -1.1%	GBX 3,216.67 +38.1%	N/A	£1.55B	£672M	32.81	480	Positive News
CPG Compass Group	4.0848 of 5 stars	GBX 28.57 +1.1%	GBX 2,932.50 +10,162.8%	N/A	£485.85M	£46.07B	0.26	550,000	Analyst Forecast
KYGA Kerry Group	4.2488 of 5 stars	GBX 72.02 +0.0%	GBX 99 +37.5%	N/A	£115.11M	£6.76B	0.18	21,000	Gap Up
CAR Carclo	N/A	GBX 35.20 -5.1%	N/A	N/A	£25.84M	£117.50M	13.54	1,059

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This page (LON:SMWH) was last updated on 5/9/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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WH Smith (SMWH) Competitors

SMWH vs. GNS, CPG, KYGA, CAR, and PRP

How does WH Smith compare to Genus?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Compass Group?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Kerry Group?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Carclo?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Prime People?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

SMWH vs. The Competition

WH Smith Competitors List

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WH Smith (SMWH) Competitors

SMWH vs. GNS, CPG, KYGA, CAR, and PRP

How does WH Smith compare to Genus?

Is SMWH or GNS a better dividend stock?

Do analysts rate SMWH or GNS?

Which has more volatility and risk, SMWH or GNS?

Is SMWH or GNS more profitable?

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, SMWH or GNS?

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of SMWH or GNS?

Does the media refer more to SMWH or GNS?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Compass Group?

Is CPG or SMWH a better dividend stock?

Do analysts rate CPG or SMWH?

Which has more risk & volatility, CPG or SMWH?

Is CPG or SMWH more profitable?

Which has better earnings and valuation, CPG or SMWH?

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of CPG or SMWH?

Does the media prefer CPG or SMWH?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Kerry Group?

Is KYGA or SMWH more profitable?

Which has more risk and volatility, KYGA or SMWH?

Is KYGA or SMWH a better dividend stock?

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in KYGA or SMWH?

Does the media refer more to KYGA or SMWH?

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, KYGA or SMWH?

Do analysts prefer KYGA or SMWH?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Carclo?

Is CAR or SMWH more profitable?

Which has more volatility & risk, CAR or SMWH?

Do analysts prefer CAR or SMWH?

Do insiders and institutionals believe in CAR or SMWH?

Which has better earnings and valuation, CAR or SMWH?

Does the media refer more to CAR or SMWH?

Summary

How does WH Smith compare to Prime People?

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in PRP or SMWH?

Is PRP or SMWH more profitable?

Which has better valuation and earnings, PRP or SMWH?

Do analysts prefer PRP or SMWH?

Does the media prefer PRP or SMWH?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

SMWH vs. The Competition

WH Smith Competitors List

Related Companies and Tools

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools