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WH Smith (SMWH) Competitors

WH Smith logo
GBX 495 -5.50 (-1.10%)
As of 12:13 PM Eastern

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

Should you buy WH Smith stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares WH Smith with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with 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?

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

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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Genus£672M2.35£7.87M£71.0033.42
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A

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. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.55 beat Genus' score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Genus Neutral
WH Smith Positive

53.1% of Genus shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.9% of WH Smith shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Genus shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of WH Smith shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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
Genus7.07% 9.70% 3.31%
WH Smith -9.48%-90.46%6.62%

Genus presently has a consensus target price of GBX 3,216.67, suggesting a potential upside of 35.56%. WH Smith has a consensus target price of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 45.56%. Given WH Smith's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Genus.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Genus
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
3 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

Genus pays an annual dividend of GBX 32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Genus pays out 45.1% 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. WH Smith is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

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

Summary

WH Smith beats Genus on 11 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 better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, media sentiment and profitability.

Compass Group currently has a consensus target price of GBX 2,932.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9,015.64%. WH Smith has a consensus target price of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 45.56%. Given Compass Group's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly 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 pays an annual dividend of GBX 61.94 per share and has a dividend yield of 192.5%. WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. 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 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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Compass Group£48.49B0.01£1.35B£109.900.29
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A

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

Compass Group has a net margin of 4.21% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Compass Group's return on equity of 26.24% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Compass Group4.21% 26.24% 7.52%
WH Smith -9.48%-90.46%6.62%

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 hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, WH Smith had 1 more articles in the media than Compass Group. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 1 mentions for Compass Group. Compass Group's average media sentiment score of 1.14 beat WH Smith's score of 0.55 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
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
WH Smith
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Compass Group beats WH Smith on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Kerry Group?

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

WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Kerry Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 131 per share and has a dividend yield of 178.0%. WH Smith pays out -17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Kerry Group pays out 32.8% 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.

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

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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A
Kerry Group£6.76B0.02£62.65B£399.300.18

WH Smith has a beta of 0.915, indicating that its share price is 9% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Kerry Group has a beta of 0.564, indicating that its share price is 44% less volatile than the broader market.

Kerry Group has a net margin of 9.74% 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
WH Smith-9.48% -90.46% 6.62%
Kerry Group 9.74%11.11%4.77%

WH Smith currently has a consensus target price of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 45.56%. Kerry Group has a consensus target price of GBX 99, suggesting a potential upside of 34.54%. Given WH Smith's higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Kerry Group.

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
Kerry Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

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. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.55 beat Kerry Group's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
WH Smith Positive
Kerry Group Neutral

Summary

WH Smith and Kerry Group tied by winning 9 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 investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, media sentiment and dividends.

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
Carclo1.57% -17.36% 2.73%
WH Smith -9.48%-90.46%6.62%

21.9% of Carclo shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.9% of WH Smith shares are held by institutional investors. 4.3% of Carclo shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of WH Smith shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

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

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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Carclo£117.50M0.22-£3.30M£2.6013.46
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A

In the previous week, WH Smith had 2 more articles in the media than Carclo. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Carclo. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.55 beat Carclo's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Carclo Neutral
WH Smith Positive

WH Smith has a consensus target price of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 45.56%. Given WH Smith's stronger consensus rating and higher possible 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

Summary

WH Smith beats Carclo on 11 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 investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

WH Smith has a consensus target price of GBX 720.50, suggesting a potential upside of 45.56%. 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

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 PeopleN/A N/A N/A
WH Smith -9.48%-90.46%6.62%

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. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.55 beat Prime People's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Prime People Neutral
WH Smith Positive

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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Prime People£19.72M0.00N/A£6.10N/A
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A

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, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

WH Smith beats Prime People on 9 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.
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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.
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SMWH vs. The Competition

MetricWH SmithSpecialty Retail IndustryCyclical SectorLON Exchange
Market Cap£617.24M£4.22B£4.02B£2.81B
Dividend Yield3.06%4.25%3.47%6.06%
P/E Ratio-5.1216.7078.02365.74
Price / Sales0.3926.68311.2287,755.58
Price / Cash14.3614.6030.8727.89
Price / Book1.4510.583.297.79
Net Income£63.01M£141.85M£247.50M£5.89B
7 Day Performance-1.71%0.99%1.45%0.88%
1 Month Performance-2.94%1.14%2.84%11.27%
1 Year Performance-52.45%-5.80%2.08%78.57%

WH Smith Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
SMWH
WH Smith
3.4893 of 5 stars
GBX 495
-1.1%
GBX 720.50
+45.6%
-53.1%£617.24M£1.59BN/A14,935
GNS
Genus
2.5428 of 5 stars
GBX 2,475.87
-0.1%
GBX 3,216.67
+29.9%
+15.6%£1.64B£672M34.87480
CPG
Compass Group
4.4836 of 5 stars
GBX 30.54
-3.3%
GBX 2,932.50
+9,502.2%
-98.8%£519.28M£48.49B0.28550,000
KYGA
Kerry Group
3.7949 of 5 stars
GBX 73.30
-2.4%
GBX 99
+35.1%
-24.3%£117.15M£6.76B0.1821,000
CAR
Carclo
N/AGBX 34.90
+1.7%
N/A-2.3%£25.62M£117.50M13.421,059

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This page (LON:SMWH) was last updated on 5/29/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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