Smithfield FoodsSFD -0.56%30 Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.44 as of Mar. 2026, which is 30% below its 10-year median of 2.06. GuruFocus rates SFD with a GF Score™ of 30/100. The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,545 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Smithfield Foods ranks better than 59.87% on this metric.
Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
SFD'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1.44 Med: 2.06 Max: 6.59
Current: 1.44
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of Smithfield Foods was 6.59. The lowest was 1.44. And the median was 2.06.
SFD's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked better than 59.87% of 1545
companies
in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry
Industry Median: 2.05
vs SFD: 1.44
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.
According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Packaged Foods subindustry, Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-EBITDA vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data,
the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.
Smithfield Foods (SFD) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.44 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Smithfield Foods. This is 30% below median its historical median of 2.06. Over the past decade, Smithfield Foods' Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.44 to 6.59. According to the industry distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #620 out of 1545 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 40.1%.
Is Smithfield Foods' Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
Smithfield Foods' current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.44 is 30% below median its 10-year median of 2.06. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.44 to a high of 6.59. The Consumer Packaged Goods industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.05. Smithfield Foods' value of 1.44 is 29.8% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #620 out of 1545 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Smithfield Foods has a GF Score™ of 30/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Smithfield Foods' Debt-to-EBITDA compare to DAR and SJM?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #620 out of 1545 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This puts Smithfield Foods in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.05. Smithfield Foods' value of 1.44 is 29.8% below this benchmark. Historically, Smithfield Foods' own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.44 to 6.59 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.06 vs. the industry median of 2.05, Smithfield Foods has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Consumer Packaged Goods companies is 2.05, based on 1,545 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Smithfield Foods's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.44 is 29.8% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Smithfield Foods. For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.05 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Smithfield Foods's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.44, which is 30% below median its own 10-year median of 2.06. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Smithfield Foods stock overvalued right now?
Smithfield Foods (SFD) has a current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.44. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.44, which is 30% below median its 10-year median of 2.06 and 29.8% below the Consumer Packaged Goods industry median of 2.05. Smithfield Foods' overall GF Score™ is 30/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Smithfield Foods (SFD), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.44 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Smithfield Foods Inc is a hog producer and pork processor based in the United States of America. The company conducts its operations through three reportable segments: Packaged Meats, Fresh Pork, and Hog Production. The company generates the maximum of its revenue from the Packaged Meats segment. The Packaged Meats segment consists of the company's U.S. operations that process fresh meat into a wide variety of packaged meats products, including bacon, sausage, hot dogs, deli and lunch meats, dry sausage products (such as pepperoni and genoa), ham products, ready-to-eat products and prepared foods (such as pre-cooked entrees, bacon and sausage).
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