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Pennon Group Plc (PNN.L)

Utilities Out of favour

Pennon Group supplies drinking water and manages wastewater for millions of households mainly across the south-west of England.

£4.63
≈ 463p · London-listed shares are usually quoted in pence (GBX) elsewhere; the Almanac shows pounds (£1 = 100p).

Is Pennon Group Plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Pennon Group supplies drinking water and manages wastewater for millions of households mainly across the south-west of England.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-25.3%
52-week range-13% past year
£4.63
Low £4.39High £6.05
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Pennon Group Plc
£747-25%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£2.18B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
1.62M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£4.60 – £4.73
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£4.39 – £6.05
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
24.4
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
6.3%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.56
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.56
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▼ -6% past week · ▼ -13% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

successful completion of major capital investment programmes

The bear case

prolonged political pressure on water industry ownership and profits

What does Pennon Group Plc do?

Households and businesses pay regular water and sewerage bills to Pennon Group, providing a steady flow of cash that funds its massive pipe networks and treatment plants. Because water is an essential service, demand stays relatively constant come rain or shine, though the business relies heavily on borrowing to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure. A key radar point for anyone studying this utility is how regulators cap the prices the company can charge customers, directly shaping its annual income.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and income, and weakest on momentum.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 35Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 44Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 86Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 15Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 50
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Growth screens high (86/100)
  • Provides an essential service with reliable, captive customer demand
  • Attractive dividend yield that catches the eye of income-focused learners
  • Lower market volatility than typical growth stocks
What to watch
  • Momentum screens low (15/100)
  • Strict oversight from regulators limiting how much profit can be made
  • Potential environmental fines for spills or pollution incidents
  • Rising interest rates making company debt more expensive to service

What do Pennon Group Plc's numbers mean?

P/E
24.4
This shows how much investors are currently paying for every pound of past yearly profit.
Dividend yield
6.3%
This tells you the annual cash payout relative to the share price, which naturally attracts income-seeking investors.
Beta
0.6
A score below one means the share price tends to jump around less than the wider stock market.
Gross margin
97.0%
This remarkably high percentage reflects the fundamental nature of water infrastructure before counting overhead costs and debt interest.

Does Pennon Group Plc pay a dividend?

Yes - Pennon Group Plc currently pays a dividend of about 6.3% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

When does Pennon Group Plc report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?

Pennon Group Plc is next scheduled to report on about 2026-12-01 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.

Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.

See who else reports over the next two weeks →

Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.

More in Utilities

United UtilitiesPG&EEdison InternationalThe AES CorporationVistra Corp.Pinnacle West Capital CorporationDominion Energy, Inc.Eversource Energy

What are the scenarios for Pennon Group Plc?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£6£5£4today · £5▲ Bull · £5• Base · £5▼ Bear · £4in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+5% to +15%favourable regulatory announcements on price limits
Base
-2% to +5%stable operations meeting basic targets
Bear
-15% to -5%unexpected fines or higher borrowing costs

What are the pros and cons of Pennon Group Plc?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • Provides an essential service with reliable, captive customer demand
  • Attractive dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone. that catches the eye of income-focused learners
  • Lower market volatility than typical growth stocks
The catch3
  • Carries significant debt to fund large-scale pipe and plant networks
  • Net profit margin is squeezed down to 7.1% by operating costs and interest
  • Recent 12-month share price move has drifted downwards by 7.1%
Key risks3
  • Strict oversight from regulators limiting how much profit can be made
  • Potential environmental fines for spills or pollution incidents
  • Rising interest rates making company debt more expensive to service
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: GBP · flags: earnings_growth · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-02. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.