London, Jan 8, 2026, 09:17 GMT — Regular session
- Compass Group was down 0.8% after touching 2,249p, its lowest in a year.
- The FTSE 100 opened lower as investors digested a raft of corporate updates and fresh geopolitical noise.
- Focus turns to Compass’s Feb. 5 AGM and first-quarter trading update, with the stock going ex-dividend next week.
Compass Group shares slid early on Thursday and briefly hit a 12-month low before paring losses, tracking a softer tone across London equities.
The caterer’s stock was down 0.8% at 2,314 pence by 0902 GMT after opening at 2,249p, which also marked the bottom of its 52-week range. 1
The move landed as the FTSE 100 opened down about 0.3%, led by sharp falls in a handful of heavyweight names. “Various forces are poised to somewhat buoy the market heading into 2026,” Halifax analyst Amanda Bryden said, pointing to easing mortgage rates after the latest base rate cut. 2
Across Europe, stocks also edged lower as investors weighed earnings updates and a rise in geopolitical tensions tied to Venezuela and oil flows, Reuters reported. 3
For Compass investors, the near-term calendar is simple. The group goes ex-dividend on Jan. 15 — the date after which buyers no longer qualify for the next payout — and holds its annual general meeting alongside a first-quarter trading update on Feb. 5, according to the company’s financial calendar. 4
That Feb. 5 update is the next clear catalyst for the stock, with traders looking for clues on volumes in workplace dining and how much pricing power is left as inflation cools. Investors also tend to watch retention rates and new contract wins at the start of the year, when budgets reset.
Compass last told investors in November that it expected profit growth of about 10% and organic revenue growth around 7% in 2026. Organic revenue strips out currency swings and acquisitions, while “underlying” profit excludes items the company treats as one-offs. Finance chief Petros Parras said then that inflation was slowing faster than expected and the group would pass part of the lower costs to clients. 5
But the downside case is easy to sketch. If inflation fades quickly, the pricing tailwind that boosted top-line growth can thin out, and wage costs in large contracts can bite if productivity gains lag. Any wobble in office occupancy trends would also show up quickly in volumes.
Technically, the stock’s dip to 2,249p puts a bright light on the 2,250p area. A clean break below that would leave little recent chart support, while a move back above the prior close near 2,333p would suggest the early selloff is fading.
