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WH Smith (SMWH) Competitors

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GBX 407.67 +6.87 (+1.71%)
As of 07/10/2026 12:18 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?

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) and Genus (LON:GNS) 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 dividends, earnings, risk, profitability, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and valuation.

WH Smith has a beta of 0.922, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Genus has a beta of 0.901, indicating that its stock price is 10% less volatile than the broader market.

WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Genus pays an annual dividend of GBX 32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. 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.

71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 52.2% of Genus shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of Genus shares are owned by 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.

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% -105.35% 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.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A
Genus£672M2.00£7.87M£71.0028.45

WH Smith currently has a consensus target price of GBX 570, indicating a potential upside of 39.82%. Genus has a consensus target price of GBX 3,216.67, indicating a potential upside of 59.24%. Given Genus' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Genus is more favorable than WH Smith.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WH Smith
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
Genus
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

In the previous week, WH Smith and WH Smith both had 1 articles in the media. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Genus' score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

Summary

WH Smith beats Genus on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Compass Group?

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

WH Smith has a beta of 0.922, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Compass Group has a beta of 0.654, indicating that its stock price is 35% less volatile than the broader market.

71.9% of WH Smith shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.2% of Compass Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of WH Smith shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Compass Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Compass Group has a net margin of 4.20% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Compass Group's return on equity of 26.12% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
WH Smith-9.48% -105.35% 6.62%
Compass Group 4.20%26.12%7.52%

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
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A
Compass Group£48.49B0.01£1.35B£118.700.27

In the previous week, WH Smith and WH Smith both had 1 articles in the media. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Compass Group's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
WH Smith
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Compass Group
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 pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Compass Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 66.38 per share and has a dividend yield of 205.8%. WH Smith pays out -17.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Compass Group pays out 55.9% 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 presently has a consensus price target of GBX 570, indicating a potential upside of 39.82%. Compass Group has a consensus price target of GBX 2,932.50, indicating a potential upside of 8,990.20%. Given Compass Group's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Compass Group is more favorable than WH Smith.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WH Smith
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
Compass Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

Summary

Compass Group beats WH Smith on 11 of the 17 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 better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

In the previous week, WH Smith had 1 more articles in the media than Kerry Group. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Kerry Group. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.75 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

WH Smith has a beta of 0.922, indicating that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Kerry Group has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the broader market.

71.9% of WH Smith shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 42.1% of Kerry Group shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of WH Smith shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of Kerry Group shares are held by 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.

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£399.300.21

WH Smith presently has a consensus target price of GBX 570, indicating a potential upside of 39.82%. Kerry Group has a consensus target price of GBX 99, indicating a potential upside of 19.17%. Given WH Smith's higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly 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)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
Kerry Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

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% -105.35% 6.62%
Kerry Group 9.74%11.11%4.77%

WH Smith pays an annual dividend of GBX 17.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Kerry Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 131 per share and has a dividend yield of 157.7%. 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.

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.

23.2% 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, 0.9% 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 0.593, meaning that its stock price is 41% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, WH Smith has a beta of 0.922, meaning that its stock price is 8% 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£114.21M0.21-£3.30M£3.609.11
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A

Carclo has a net margin of 2.36% compared to WH Smith's net margin of -9.48%. Carclo's return on equity of -29.78% beat WH Smith's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Carclo2.36% -29.78% 2.73%
WH Smith -9.48%-105.35%6.62%

In the previous week, Carclo and Carclo both had 1 articles in the media. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Carclo's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the news 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)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

WH Smith has a consensus target price of GBX 570, suggesting a potential upside of 39.82%. 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)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43

Summary

WH Smith beats Carclo on 10 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does WH Smith compare to Prime People?

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

WH Smith presently has a consensus price target of GBX 570, indicating a potential upside of 39.82%. Given WH Smith's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe WH Smith is more favorable than Prime People.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
WH Smith
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43
Prime People
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00

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
WH Smith-9.48% -105.35% 6.62%
Prime People N/A N/A N/A

In the previous week, WH Smith had 1 more articles in the media than Prime People. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for WH Smith and 0 mentions for Prime People. WH Smith's average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Prime People's score of 0.00 indicating that WH Smith is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
WH Smith Positive
Prime People Neutral

71.9% of WH Smith shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% 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 stock is poised for long-term growth.

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
WH Smith£1.59B0.39£63.01M-£96.70N/A
Prime People£19.72M0.00N/A£6.10N/A

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£613.55M£4.51B£3.85B£2.85B
Dividend Yield3.06%4.02%3.48%6.16%
P/E Ratio-4.2216.7277.35368.14
Price / Sales0.3928.06337.4784,566.23
Price / Cash14.3614.6130.8127.87
Price / Book1.2012.373.567.68
Net Income£63.01M£141.85M£249.12M£5.89B
7 Day Performance-1.67%-0.15%0.15%-0.65%
1 Month Performance-2.70%-0.05%6.13%-0.17%
1 Year Performance-61.28%-6.10%3.08%61.64%

WH Smith Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
SMWH
WH Smith
4.1427 of 5 stars
GBX 407.67
+1.7%
GBX 570
+39.8%
-62.3%£613.55M£1.59BN/A14,935
GNS
Genus
2.7155 of 5 stars
GBX 2,079.90
-7.5%
GBX 3,216.67
+54.7%
-8.0%£1.38B£672M29.29480
CPG
Compass Group
3.8703 of 5 stars
GBX 32.32
+2.4%
GBX 2,932.50
+8,974.7%
-98.7%£549.46M£48.49B0.27550,000
KYGA
Kerry Group
N/AGBX 84.70
+1.6%
GBX 99
+16.9%
-8.7%£135.37M£6.76B0.2121,000
CAR
Carclo
N/AGBX 30.70
flat
N/A-29.0%£24.78M£114.21M8.531,059

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This page (LON:SMWH) was last updated on 7/11/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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