Creightons (CRL) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: £17.82M
• Dividend Yield: 3.17%
• Average Volume (3M): 174.87K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 4.7
• Beta (1Y): 0.73
• Revenue Growth: 2.83%
• EPS Growth: N/A
• Country: UK
• Employees: 390
• Sector: Consumer Defensive
• Sector Strength: 42
• Industry: Household & Personal Products
• EPS (TTM): 0.02
• Shares Outstanding: 68,527,320
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 159,513
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 174,873
• PEG Ratio: -0.05
• Price to Book (P/B): 0.79
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.35
• P/FCF Ratio: 8.58
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: N/A
• 1Y Price Target: N/A
• Price Target Upside: N/A
• Rating Consensus: N/A
• Number of Analyst Covering: 0
• EPS Forecast (FY): N/A
• Revenue Forecast (FY): N/A

• Rating: 72 Outperform
• Price Target: 29.00 p ▲(1.75% Upside)
• Action: Reiterated Date: 11/25/25
• Date: Action: Reiterated 11/25/25

Creightons' strong financial performance and attractive valuation are the primary drivers of its overall score. The robust balance sheet and low P/E ratio suggest financial stability and potential undervaluation. However, technical indicators show a bearish trend, and the decline in free cash flow growth is a risk that needs addressing.

Positive Factors

Strong balance sheet / low leverage

A debt-to-equity of 0.13 and ROE around 10% provide durable financial flexibility. Low leverage reduces refinancing risk and preserves capacity to fund working capital for manufacturing contracts, support R&D or small acquisitions, and withstand demand cycles over the medium term.

Improving gross margins and revenue recovery

A materially improved gross margin (44.67%) alongside recovering revenue indicates better product mix and cost control. Higher gross margins create structural room to cover SG&A, invest in manufacturing or product development, and sustain operating profitability despite modest top-line expansion.

Diversified business model (brands + contract manufacturing)

Having both owned brands and contract manufacturing creates durable revenue diversification: B2B manufacturing provides stable volume and long-term customer relationships, while branded products offer higher-margin upside. In-house formulation and manufacturing support customer retention and incremental margin capture.

Negative Factors

Sharp decline in free cash flow growth

A near-60% drop in FCF growth materially weakens cash conversion and limits internal funding for capex, dividends, or acquisitions. Coupled with an operating cash flow to net income ratio of 0.31, this trend could constrain capital allocation and reduce resilience to raw-material price shocks over the medium term.

Low net profit margin

Despite strong gross margins, a net margin near 4.5% indicates significant operating, financing or tax drag. Low net profitability limits retained earnings, reduces ability to self-fund strategic initiatives, and increases sensitivity of reported earnings to modest revenue or cost swings.

Modest revenue growth and limited scale

Top-line growth is modest (~2.8%) and the company is relatively small (about 390 employees), which constrains economies of scale and market share gains. Slow revenue expansion makes fixed-cost absorption harder and limits the pace at which operational improvements can translate into substantial profit growth.

Creightons Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Creightons Plc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets toiletries and fragrances in the United Kingdom and internationally. It offers haircare, skincare, bath and body, wellbeing, and male grooming products. The company also offers private label products for high street retailers and supermarket chains; and engages in the contract manufacturing business on behalf of third-party brand owners. It offers its products under the Argan Smooth, Balance Active Formula, Bambeautiful, Beautiful Brunette, Body Bliss, Bronze Ambition, Creightons, Charcoal, Creightons Frizz No More, Creightons H2O Boost, Creightons Pink Grapefruit, Creightons Pro Keratin, Crème de Cocunut & Keratin, Feather & Down, Humble Beauty, PureTouch, Salicylic Acid, Sunshine Blonde, Superfruits, and The Curl Company brands. The company also provides its products online. Creightons Plc was founded in 1954 and is based in Peterborough, the United Kingdom.

How the Company Makes Money

Creightons makes money primarily by selling personal care and beauty products through two main routes: (1) manufacturing and supplying products for other brand owners/retailers (often referred to as contract manufacturing or private label), where revenue is earned from producing agreed volumes of finished goods to customer specifications; and (2) selling products under its own brands, where revenue is earned from wholesale and/or direct sales of branded items to retailers, distributors and other channels. In both cases, earnings are driven by product volumes, product mix (including premium or higher-margin formulations), and the company’s ability to efficiently formulate, source inputs, manufacture, and fulfill orders. If information about specific customers, contractual terms, or named partnerships is not publicly available in the provided context, null.

Creightons Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Creightons shows strong financial performance with improving revenue and profitability margins. The balance sheet is robust with low leverage, enhancing financial stability. However, the significant decline in free cash flow growth is a concern and needs attention.

Income Statement

Creightons has shown a positive revenue growth rate of 2.56% in the latest year, recovering from a decline in previous years. The gross profit margin has improved to 44.67%, indicating efficient cost management. However, the net profit margin is relatively low at 4.54%, suggesting room for improvement in profitability. The EBIT and EBITDA margins have also improved, reflecting better operational efficiency.

Balance Sheet

The company maintains a strong balance sheet with a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, indicating low leverage and financial stability. The return on equity is 10.12%, showing effective use of equity to generate profits. The equity ratio is healthy, suggesting a solid capital structure with a good proportion of equity financing.

Cash Flow

Creightons experienced a significant decline in free cash flow growth, down by 59.86%, which is a concern. However, the operating cash flow to net income ratio is 0.31, indicating that the company generates sufficient cash from operations relative to its net income. The free cash flow to net income ratio is 0.77, showing decent cash generation relative to profits.

Breakdown	TTM	Mar 2024	Mar 2023	Mar 2022	Mar 2021	Mar 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue	54.21M	54.07M	53.19M	58.57M	61.16M	61.60M
Gross Profit	24.15M	24.15M	22.83M	24.05M	25.75M	24.48M
EBITDA	5.02M	5.24M	-1.21M	2.69M	5.34M	6.94M
Net Income	2.32M	2.45M	-3.53M	514.00K	3.11M	4.33M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	39.67M	38.14M	36.14M	45.54M	47.85M	33.55M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	3.35M	3.66M	3.14M	1.65M	840.00K	6.56M
Total Debt	2.94M	3.25M	3.92M	7.28M	8.22M	3.96M
Total Liabilities	14.72M	13.91M	14.09M	20.06M	22.17M	13.46M
Stockholders Equity	24.95M	24.22M	22.05M	25.48M	25.68M	20.09M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	2.43M	2.23M	5.42M	4.67M	-508.00K	4.17M
Operating Cash Flow	2.94M	2.91M	6.03M	5.81M	1.22M	5.41M
Investing Cash Flow	-802.00K	-662.00K	-608.00K	-2.64M	-8.09M	-1.07M
Financing Cash Flow	-1.02M	-1.73M	-3.95M	-2.35M	1.16M	-1.46M

Creightons Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Negative
• Last Price: 28.50
• 50DMA: Negative
• 100DMA: Negative
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Positive
• STOCH: Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For GB:CRL, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 28.5 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 27.90, above the 50-day MA of 27.74, and below the 200-day MA of 31.57, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.58 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 23.30 is Positive, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 25.00 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for GB:CRL.

Creightons Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
W7L	78 Outperform	£166.42M	15.51	21.32%	5.97%	6.38%	-10.55%
CRL	72 Outperform	£17.82M	4.66	9.67%	3.17%	2.83%	―
MCB	66 Neutral	£238.15M	3.91	30.98%	2.12%	-0.89%	1.30%
VLG	65 Neutral	£84.08M	-8.91	-0.12%	―	―	―
Sector *	62 Neutral	$20.33B	14.63	-3.31%	3.23%	1.93%	-12.26%
PZC	54 Neutral	£310.42M	14.34	-2.16%	4.82%	-2.67%	89.86%
REVB	42 Neutral	£27.44M	-0.15	97.34%	―	-31.02%	-4458.82%

Creightons Corporate Events

Creightons Keeps Block Admission Balance Unchanged as No Options Exercised

Creightons plc reported its latest six‑monthly block admission return for its employee share option scheme, confirming that no new shares were issued or allotted under the scheme between 12 September 2025 and 12 March 2026. As a result, the balance of unallotted securities under the block admission remains unchanged at 5,138,520 ordinary shares, signalling stability in the company’s capital structure and no recent dilution for existing shareholders.

The company noted that the block admission has not been increased since the previous return, with the original 7,562,000 ordinary shares having been admitted in October 2021. This update, a routine disclosure under AIM rules, provides transparency for investors on potential future share issuance tied to employee options while indicating that staff have not exercised options in the latest reporting period.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:CRL) stock is a Hold with a £28.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Creightons stock, see the GB:CRL Stock Forecast page.

Creightons Non-Executive Director Increases Stake with Share Purchase

Creightons plc has disclosed that non-executive director Paul Watts purchased 53,000 ordinary shares in the company at £0.278 per share on 4 February 2026, increasing his total holding to 160,000 shares. The director dealing, conducted on AIM in accordance with UK Market Abuse Regulation, signals added board-level confidence in the business and provides investors with updated information on insider share ownership.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:CRL) stock is a Buy with a £30.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Creightons stock, see the GB:CRL Stock Forecast page.

Creightons Discloses Share Purchase by Associate of Non-Executive Director

Creightons plc has disclosed that Steve Denison, a person closely associated with non-executive director Jemima Bird, purchased 52,994 ordinary shares in the company at a price of £0.2677 per share. The share acquisition, carried out on 28 January 2026 on AIM, represents a notified insider dealing under UK Market Abuse Regulation, signalling increased aligned interest from a party connected to the company’s board but without any stated change to corporate strategy or operations.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:CRL) stock is a Buy with a £29.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Creightons stock, see the GB:CRL Stock Forecast page.