London, June 24, 2026, 15:12 BST
- Compass shares traded up 0.8% at around $32.25 in late afternoon action, after a 1.6% drop on Tuesday.
- Compass Group’s consensus for fiscal 2026 is revenue of $50.7 billion and underlying operating profit at $3.743 billion, which would be up 11.2% if you strip out currency moves.
- Compass will post its third-quarter trading update on July 21.
Compass Group shares were up Wednesday, trading just under $32.24 as the FTSE 100 added 0.25%. There was no new trading update from the London-listed caterer. The company’s most recent regulatory news was a June 1 voting-rights notice.
The Times’ Tempus column on Tuesday called the shares a buy, pointing to wins for venue contracts and a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.8 based on forecast profit per share. The dividend yield estimate was 2.5%.
Compass changed hands near $32.25, putting it 11% under its 52-week peak of $36.24, but up 24% from the $26 low.
Compass bumped its 2026 outlook in May, now guiding for underlying operating profit growth above 11%—up from around 10%. The company’s underlying profit strips out selected acquisition and other charges. For the first half, underlying operating profit was up 12% to $1.839 billion. Organic revenue, which excludes M&A and forex effects, climbed 7.2%. New business wins totaled $4.1 billion in annual revenue, a 14% jump. Client retention held at 96%. “We have great momentum across the business,” Chief Executive Dominic Blakemore said. Compass Group Corporate Website
About two-thirds of Compass contracts are on dynamic pricing, allowing prices to move with demand. Some other contracts have clauses for food and labour costs. Compass raised prices nearly 3% and expects to keep that pace for the rest of the year unless inflation gets worse. French rival Sodexo cut its full-year sales and profit targets in April after contract reviews and issues in execution.
Levy, owned by Compass, landed a multiyear catering deal with Manchester United that kicks off for the 2026/27 season. Terms weren’t released. “Improving matchdays at Old Trafford is an essential part of our strategy,” said Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada. The Caterer
Compass started trading its shares in U.S. dollars in London on April 1, moving away from sterling pence. The change aligns trading with its reporting currency, but Compass kept its London listing and stayed in the FTSE index.
Forecasts could be too high if office demand drops or if Compass can’t keep boosting margins. Around 20% of its revenue comes from tech and other white-collar businesses, mostly professional and financial firms. These are the same clients facing questions about AI-linked job cuts. Appetite-suppressing GLP-1 drugs are another swing factor. Compass hasn’t seen any impact yet. “We actually believe that there is more opportunity than risk for us in that space,” Blakemore said. Reuters
