# High Liner Foods Incorporated (HLF.TO) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. TSX, Canada. Sector: Consumer Defensive / Food & Staples Retailing. Price C$14.53, market value C$407 million.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 11.9×** (5-yr avg 9.7×, 3-yr avg 10.3×). High Liner Foods Incorporated trades at 11.9× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 9.7×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Consumer Defensive median in the September 2026 study was 20.1×. Forward P/E is 7.1×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 0.3×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.3×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 0.7×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 7.6×**. Enterprise value is 7.6× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 2.7%** (5-yr avg 7.2%). Free cash flow equals 2.7% of the market value, below its five-year average of 7.2%, so the shares are pricier on cash than usual.
- **Earnings yield: 8.4%**. The inverse of the P/E: 8.4% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 18.1%**. High Liner Foods Incorporated keeps 18.1% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, a thin margin typical of retail, distribution and commodity businesses.
- **Operating margin: 5.1%**. 5.1% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 3.6%**. 3.6% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 9.1%**. 9.1% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 6.5%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 6.5%.
- **Return on assets: 2.7%**. Each dollar of assets produces 2.7% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 8.9%** (3-yr -0.8%/yr, 5-yr 4.8%/yr). Revenue grew 8.9% over the last year, against 4.8% a year compounded over five years: growth is accelerating.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -33.9%** (3-yr -7.1%/yr, 5-yr 8.5%/yr). Earnings per share fell 33.9%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.73**. Debt is 0.73 times equity, moderate leverage.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 3.8×**. It would take 3.8 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, above the 3× level most lenders treat as comfortable.
- **Current ratio: 2.18** (quick 0.49). Current assets cover the next year's liabilities 2.18 times.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.67**. A Z-score of 2.67 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 3/9**. 3 of 9 checks pass: weak or deteriorating financials.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 4.82%** (C$0.70 per share, trailing). High Liner Foods Incorporated yields 4.82%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 39%** (178% of free cash flow). 39% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 5**. 5 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 25.5%/yr** (1-yr 10.5%). The dividend has compounded at 25.5% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 3 years at that pace.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -6.5%** (YTD 0.4%, 3-mo 0.1%). The shares are down 6.5% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -17.4%** (10.7% above the low). Trading 17% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: below**. The price sits below its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of a downtrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 41**. An RSI of 41 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.16** (volatility 24%). Beta of 0.16 against the S&P/TSX Composite: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=HLF.TO · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/hlf.to

Not investment advice.