Important information - investment values (and income from investments) can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest.
It has been an eventful summer of company results. As autumn approaches, some less familiar names are poised to update the market - and they have interesting stories to tell.
This article is not a recommendation to buy or sell an investment; it is purely insight into some of the companies that announce results over the next month.
Associated British Foods
Full-year trading update: Thursday 10 September
It is a busy time for Associated British Foods. In April, the conglomerate confirmed plans to spin off Primark as a separately listed company by the end of 2027. In the meantime, it continues to juggle fashion trends, supply chain disruption and bad weather.
Both the fashion and food divisions of ABF have faced challenges this year. Primark's sales rose by 3% in the third quarter, but growth was driven by new store openings. Like-for-like growth fell slightly.1
“We believe Primark should see positive growth going forward from new store openings, while same-store sales will likely remain flat to slightly declining, weighed down by intense competition and lagging digital capabilities,” analysts at Morningstar said.
Food is also facing headwinds. ABF owns brands such as Twinings, Ryvita and - as of July - Hovis, as well as a large sugar business. Sugar sales fell by 4% in the third quarter, and ABF expects it to post an operating loss of £25 million to £60 million across the year. There are various reasons for this, including lower average selling prices in Europe and rain-related production delays in Tanzania.
A full-year trading update from ABF on 10 September should tell us more.
- More on Associated British Foods
Computacenter
Half-year results: Tuesday 8 September
The UK stock market does not boast many AI winners - but Computacenter bucks this trend. Almost 30 years after its IPO, it burst onto the FTSE 100 in June and has continued to rally through the summer.
On the face of it, Computacenter isn’t particularly exciting. It helps companies buy, install and run their IT systems, sorting everything from cables to workplace laptops. But the data centre building boom has changed the game.
In 2025, Computacenter’s operating profit in North America nearly doubled, driven by customer investment in AI infrastructure, and its order book surged. This year is also off to a strong start. It expects adjusted profits to double in the first half and thinks its full-year results will be “comfortably ahead of market expectations”. We’ll get more insight into the company’s progress when it publishes interim results on 8 September.2
Computacenter’s recent success has pushed up its valuation. It now trades on a forward price/earnings ratio of almost 22, versus a five-year average of 15.
- More on Computacenter
JD Sports Fashion
Half-year results: Wednesday 23 September
Trading is “tough” at JD Sports. So says chief executive Régis Schultz. Sales shrank by 3.1% in the second quarter of the year on a like-for-like basis, with North American stores under particular pressure.3
The ‘King of Trainers’ is finding trainers particularly hard to flog due to ‘consumer pressures’ and a lack of hot new designs. Given that footwear is JD Sports’ biggest product category, this is worrying shareholders.
The group has downgraded its profit estimates for the year. Adjusted profit before tax is now expected to be between £700m and £800m, against previous forecasts of £750m to £850m. This is not the first time JD Sports has had to lower its guidance in recent years.
Some analysts are concerned. “The level of decline at JD does seem to be higher than we are seeing at other apparel retailers and at key brands Nike and Adidas which raises the issue of potential market share contraction,” analysts at Shore Capital said.
However, costs are being cut and cash flow remains steady; JD Sports is still on track to deliver free cash flow of £460m to £520m across the year.
“Whilst another downgrade is unwelcome, we sense that management is being very pragmatic,” analysts at Peel Hunt concluded. “JD is not really doing much wrong tactically: it is able to change its ranges where appropriate to find the hot brands and products, and the stores still look second to none in the industry.”
- More on JD Sports
Bunzl
Half-year results: Tuesday 1 September
Bunzl is one of the less famous faces on the FTSE 100. It is a distributor, delivering everything from disposable cutlery to hospital gowns to organisations around the world. Customers include Walmart, Domino’s Pizza and the NHS.
Sluggish economic conditions are not good for distributors. However, Bunzl published an upbeat trading update at the end of June. It expects to post revenue growth of 4% in its interim results, fuelled by price rises and decent volume growth. (According to analysts at Panmure Liberum, two thirds of growth in the first half of the year was volume related.) This follows a tricky 2025, which was marred by issues in the North American business.
Acquisitions are key to Bunzl’s business model. It has bought more than 230 companies since 2004, and they have driven two-thirds of the group’s growth. Last year was slow on the M&A front, but things are expected to pick up this year.
Shareholders will also be paying close attention to dividends. Bunzl’s dividend growth has been incredibly consistent: payouts have risen for 33 years in a row. The dividend is expected to rise again this year from 74p a share to 77p.4
- More on Bunzl
Barratt Redrow
Full-year results: Wednesday 16 September
House builders are struggling to catch a break. For a while, mortgage rates were coming down, helping to stoke demand, and inflation was easing, making homes less expensive to build. In recent months, however, these trends have kicked into reverse.
Barratt Redrow is the UK’s largest residential property developer by revenue, with four brands serving everyone from first-time buyers to downsizers. It was created in 2024, when former rivals Barratt and Redrow merged.
The company is due to report its annual results on 16 September, but it has already given us a sense of what to expect. Consumer sentiment has been “cautious” - particularly since conflict broke out in the Middle East - and cost inflation ticked up to 3% in the second half of the year.
Shares have struggled since the pandemic, and there has been growing pressure from investors for Barratt Redrow to pivot from dividends to share buybacks. (When a company’s shares look undervalued, share buybacks can be an effective way to return cash to investors.)
It has bowed to some of this pressure: it intends to return £400m to shareholders in its current financial year, primarily through share buybacks. This has improved the mood among investors. There has also been a shake-up of the management team. Dean Banks will become chief executive in September, while Rebecca Napier took over as chief financial officer in August.
- More on Barratt Redrow
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Source:
1 Associated British Foods Trading Update, 1 July 2026
2 Computacenter Trading Update, 9 July 2026
3 JD Sports Fashion PLC Trading Update, 20 August 2026
4 Bunzl Annual Report 2025
Important information - investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Reference to specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell these securities and is included for the purposes of illustration only. This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.
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