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SK Telecom CoSTU:KMBA -3.90%79 Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.78 as of Mar. 2026, which is 7% below its 10-year median of 1.91. GuruFocus rates STU:KMBA with a GF Score™ of 79/100 and a GF Value™ of €17.44 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 301 Telecommunication Services companies, SK Telecom Co ranks worse than 54.15% 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 SK Telecom Co's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
STU:KMBA'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1.08 Med: 1.91 Max: 2.27
Current: 2.22
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of SK Telecom Co was 2.27. The lowest was 1.08. And the median was 1.91.
STU:KMBA's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked worse than 54.15% of 301
companies
in the Telecommunication Services industry
Industry Median: 1.98
vs STU:KMBA: 2.22
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.
SK Telecom Co Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
SK Telecom Co Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for SK Telecom Co'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.
STU:KMBA vs VZ, TMUS, T: Debt-to-EBITDA Comparison
For the Telecom Services subindustry, SK Telecom Co'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.
SK Telecom Co Debt-to-EBITDA vs Telecommunication Services Industry
For the Telecommunication Services industry and Communication Services sector, SK Telecom Co's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where SK Telecom Co'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.
SK Telecom Co (STU:KMBA) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.78 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 SK Telecom Co. This is near median its historical median of 1.91. Over the past decade, SK Telecom Co's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.08 to 2.27. According to the industry distribution chart, SK Telecom Co ranks #163 out of 301 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, placing it in the top 54.2%.
Is SK Telecom Co's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
SK Telecom Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.78 is near median its 10-year median of 1.91. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.08 to a high of 2.27. The Telecommunication Services industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.98. SK Telecom Co's value of 1.78 is 10.1% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, SK Telecom Co ranks #163 out of 301 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, SK Telecom Co has a GF Score™ of 79/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does SK Telecom Co's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to VZ and TMUS?
According to the Telecommunication Services industry distribution chart, SK Telecom Co ranks #163 out of 301 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This places SK Telecom Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.98. SK Telecom Co's value of 1.78 is 10.1% below this benchmark. Historically, SK Telecom Co's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 1.08 to 2.27 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 1.91 vs. the industry median of 1.98, SK Telecom Co 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 Telecommunication Services company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Telecommunication Services companies is 1.98, based on 301 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. SK Telecom Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 1.78 is 10.1% 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 SK Telecom Co. For the Telecommunication Services industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.98 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. SK Telecom Co's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.78, which is near median its own 10-year median of 1.91. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is SK Telecom Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SK Telecom Co (STU:KMBA) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €17.44, compared to a current price of €29.60 — trading 69.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.78, which is near median its 10-year median of 1.91 and 10.1% below the Telecommunication Services industry median of 1.98. SK Telecom Co's overall GF Score™ is 79/100 with 5 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 SK Telecom Co (STU:KMBA), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.78 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.
Is SK Telecom Co (STU:KMBA) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, SK Telecom Co stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of €29.60 is trading 69.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of €17.44.
GuruFocus considers SK Telecom Co to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for STU:KMBA:
Debt-to-EBITDA: 1.78 (near median its 10-year median of 1.91)
GF Value™: €17.44 vs. price of €29.60 (69.7% above fair value)
Industry Position: 10.1% below the Telecommunication Services median (#163 of 301)
No single metric tells the full story. See the STU:KMBA stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
SK Telecom is South Korea's largest wireless telecom operator, with 32 million mobile customers. The firm also owns SK Broadband (formerly Hanaro Telecom), which has 7.2 million broadband customers and 9.5 million pay TV customers (6.7 million IPTV and 2.8 million Cable TV). While the firm also purchased stakes in businesses in security and semiconductor memory production, as well as developing e-commerce and internet platform businesses, these were all spun off into the separate SK Square business in November 2021. The company was formed after SK Group purchased KT's mobile business in 1994.
79GF Score
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