# Ingles Markets Incorporated (IMKTA) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Consumer Defensive / Food & Staples Retailing. Price $83.07, market value $1.6 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 15.2×**. Ingles Markets Incorporated trades at 15.2× trailing earnings. The Consumer Defensive median in the September 2026 study was 20.1×. Forward P/E is 17.7×, higher than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to fall.
- **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: 0.9×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 7.9×**. Enterprise value is 7.9× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 9.5%**. Free cash flow equals 9.5% of the market value. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 6.6%**. The inverse of the P/E: 6.6% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 24.5%**. Ingles Markets Incorporated keeps 24.5% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, a thin margin typical of retail, distribution and commodity businesses.
- **Operating margin: 2.6%**. 2.6% of revenue is left after running the business, which leaves little cushion in a downturn.
- **Net margin: 1.6%**. 1.6% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 5.2%**. 5.2% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 5.3%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 5.3%: close to or below the cost of capital, so growth may not create value.
- **Return on assets: 4.1%**. Each dollar of assets produces 4.1% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -5.4%** (3-yr -2.1%/yr, 5-yr 3.0%/yr). Revenue fell 5.4% over the last year, against 3.0% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): -43.5%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at -43.5% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.32**. Debt is 0.32 times equity: a conservative balance sheet.
- **Current ratio: 3.22** (quick 3.22). Current assets cover the next year's liabilities 3.22 times.
- **Altman Z-score: 4.42**. A Z-score of 4.42 places the company in the safe zone for bankruptcy risk.
- **Piotroski F-score: 6/9**. 6 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 0.79%** ($0.66 per share, trailing). Ingles Markets Incorporated yields 0.79%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 15%** (8% of free cash flow). 15% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 12**. 12 straight years of increases, a record that survived at least one recession.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 0.0%/yr** (1-yr 0.0%). The dividend has not grown over five years.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 18.8%** (YTD 21.9%, 3-mo -8.7%). The shares are up 18.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -13.1%** (24.7% above the low). Trading 13% 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): 42**. An RSI of 42 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.17** (volatility 26%). Beta of 0.17 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=IMKTA · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/imkta

Not investment advice.