Next plc (NXT) Stock Price, Fundamentals & Analysis

What NXT does

Next plc (NXT) is a Consumer Cyclical stock in the Apparel Retail industry, listed on the London Stock Exchange stocks. It operates retail stores, online platforms, and franchise stores across the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. The company sells NEXT-branded clothing, homeware, and beauty products, along with third-party branded fashion. It also provides consumer credit, services to third-party brands (websites, marketing, warehousing, distribution, contact centres), and property management. Formerly known as J Hepworth & Son, the company changed its name to NEXT plc in 1986 and was founded in 1864. It is headquartered in Enderby, United Kingdom, and employs 31,589 people.

Key numbers explained

• 146.55 GBP is the current share price, the amount you would pay for one share on the London Stock Exchange stocks market.
• +1.77% is today's price change, showing how much the price has moved relative to the previous close.
• The trailing P/E ratio of 18.6 divides the current share price by the last 12 months of earnings per share (7.86 GBP), giving a sense of how much investors pay per pound of recent earnings.
• The forward P/E ratio of 16.6 uses expected future earnings, which can be lower if the market expects growth.
• The dividend yield of 1.9% is the annual dividend as a percentage of the share price, showing the cash return you would receive if the dividend stayed the same.
• The ex-dividend date is Dec 3, 2026; you must own the share before this date to receive the next dividend payment.
• 34% of earnings are paid out as dividends, meaning the company returns roughly a third of its profit to shareholders and keeps the rest.
• 16.73 mld. GBP is the market capitalisation, the total value of all outstanding shares.
• 1.04 is the beta, a measure of how much the share price tends to move relative to the overall market.
• The 52-week range of 116.95 – 161.75 GBP shows the lowest and highest price over the past year, while the 16.9% price change over the same period shows the total return from one year ago to today.
• 9.6% revenue growth year over year indicates how fast the company's top line has expanded recently.
• 12.9% profit margin and 17.7% operating margin show how much of each sales pound turns into profit and operating profit respectively.
• 54.5% return on equity measures how effectively the company generates profit from shareholders' funds.
• A debt-to-equity ratio of 120.2% means the company has more debt than equity, which is common in capital-intensive retail businesses.
• The price-to-book ratio of 1,030.74 compares the share price to the book value per share; a high number often reflects intangible value such as brand strength.

What to watch

• Consumer spending trends, since NXT operates in a cyclical sector where demand can rise or fall with the economy.
• Competition from peers such as Whitbread (WTB), JD Sports (JD), Compass Group (CPG), IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), Burberry Group (BRBY), Howdens Joinery (HWDN), and Kingfisher plc (KGF), which operate in similar or adjacent markets.
• Online sales growth and the performance of the Total Platform segment, which combines retail, online, and financial services.
• Currency movements, given the company's international operations and revenue streams outside the UK.
• The next earnings report on Sep 17, 2026, which can shift sentiment based on results and guidance.