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Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Cranswick’s tasty performance

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Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Gain to date: 32.3%
Original entry point:
Buy at £22.16, 17 Nov 2016
Our bullish call on gourmet sausages-to-gammon supplier Cranswick (CWK) is now 32.3% in the money. The £1.48bn cap’s first quarter trading update (24 Jul) highlighted outperformance in a difficult UK grocery market over the three months to 30 June.
Total sales were up 27% and like-for-like revenue rocketed 21% higher, driven by strong domestic volume growth with all product categories making positive contributions.
Cranswick benefitted from the return of inflation in the pork category as well as from a new pastry contract and a new poultry contract, while the impact of rising pig prices was ‘partially mitigated during the period’.
With strong volume momentum continuing and new business wins expected to support growth in the second quarter and beyond, Shore Capital has upgraded its pre-tax profit forecast for the year to March 2018 by 2.2% to £83.3m.
The broker’s 2019 pre-tax profit estimate rises from £86.2m to £87.8m. Cranswick, a high-quality food producer whose dividend growth track record is formidable, is forecast to hike the payout to 48.9p (2017: 44.1p) this year ahead of 51.6p next.
We remain bullish about the high-quality food producer’s growth and income prospects.
These articles are provided by Shares magazine which is published by AJ Bell Media, a part of AJ Bell. Shares is not written by AJ Bell.
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Investors acting on the information in these articles do so at their own risk and AJ Bell Media and its staff do not accept liability for losses suffered by investors as a result of their investment decisions.
The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you originally invested. We don't offer advice, so it's important you understand the risks, if you're unsure please consult a suitably qualified financial adviser. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and rules may change. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and some investments need to be held for the long term.