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A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Smiths News's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
CHIX:SNWSl'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -25.84 Med: -1.87 Max: 14.3
Current: 5.02
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Smiths News was 14.30. The lowest was -25.84. And the median was -1.87.
CHIX:SNWSl's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 95.44% of 834
companies
in the Media - Diversified industry
Industry Median: 0.25
vs CHIX:SNWSl: 5.02
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Smiths News Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Smiths News Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Smiths News's Debt-to-Equity 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 Publishing subindustry, Smiths News's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity 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.
Smiths News Debt-to-Equity vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Smiths News's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Smiths News's Debt-to-Equity 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.
Smiths News (CHIX:SNWSL) has a Debt-to-Equity of 5.02 as of Feb. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Smiths News and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Smiths News ranks #796 out of 834 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, placing it in the top 95.4%.
Is Smiths News' Debt-to-Equity too high?
Smiths News' current Debt-to-Equity is 5.02. The Media - Diversified industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.25. Smiths News' value of 5.02 is 1908% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Smiths News ranks #796 out of 834 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Smiths News has a GF Score™ of 52/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Smiths News' Debt-to-Equity compare to NYT and WLY?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Smiths News ranks #796 out of 834 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Smiths News in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.25. Smiths News' value of 5.02 is 1908% above this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Media - Diversified company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Media - Diversified companies is 0.25, based on 834 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Smiths News's current Debt-to-Equity of 5.02 is 1908% above 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-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Smiths News and its competitors. For the Media - Diversified industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.25 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Smiths News's current Debt-to-Equity is 5.02. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Smiths News stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Smiths News (CHIX:SNWSL) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is £0.54, compared to a current price of £0.72 — trading 33.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 5.02 and 1908% above the Media - Diversified industry median of 0.25. Smiths News' overall GF Score™ is 52/100 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-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Smiths News (CHIX:SNWSL), the current Debt-to-Equity is 5.02 as of Feb. 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 Smiths News (CHIX:SNWSL) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Smiths News stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of £0.72 is trading 33.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of £0.54.
GuruFocus considers Smiths News to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for CHIX:SNWSL:
Debt-to-Equity: 5.02
GF Value™: £0.54 vs. price of £0.72 (33.7% above fair value)
Industry Position: 1908% above the Media - Diversified median (#796 of 834)
No single metric tells the full story. See the CHIX:SNWSL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Smiths News PLC is a UK wholesaler of newspapers and magazines, providing nationwide early-morning distribution and logistics services. The company supplies newspapers, magazines, and related products to a wide network of retail outlets, supported by integrated services such as warehousing, pick-and-pack, returns collection, recycling, invoicing, and market insight. Operating through a hub-and-spoke distribution network across England and Wales, Smiths News delivers seven days a week, reaching locations from urban centres to remote rural communities, and also offers recycling and waste management solutions through its dedicated recycling operations.
52GF Score
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