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Coles GroupFRA:2OF 76 Debt-to-Equity is 2.72 as of Dec. 2025, which is 1% below its 10-year median of 2.75. GuruFocus rates FRA:2OF with a GF Score™ of 76/100 and a GF Value™ of €12.13 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 282 Retail - Defensive companies, Coles Group ranks worse than 87.59% on this metric.
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 Coles Group's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
FRA:2OF'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.61 Med: 2.75 Max: 4.28
Current: 2.72
During the past 8 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Coles Group was 4.28. The lowest was 0.61. And the median was 2.75.
FRA:2OF's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 87.59% of 282
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 0.55
vs FRA:2OF: 2.72
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.
Coles Group Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Coles Group Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Coles Group'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.
FRA:2OF vs KR, SFM, ACI: Debt-to-Equity Comparison
For the Grocery Stores subindustry, Coles Group'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.
Coles Group Debt-to-Equity vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Coles Group's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Coles Group'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.
Coles Group (FRA:2OF) has a Debt-to-Equity of 2.72 as of Dec. 2025. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Coles Group and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 2.75. Over the past decade, Coles Group's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.61 to 4.28. According to the industry distribution chart, Coles Group ranks #247 out of 282 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 87.6%.
Is Coles Group's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Coles Group's current Debt-to-Equity of 2.72 is near median its 10-year median of 2.75. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.61 to a high of 4.28. The Retail - Defensive industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55. Coles Group's value of 2.72 is 394.5% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Coles Group ranks #247 out of 282 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Coles Group has a GF Score™ of 76/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Coles Group's Debt-to-Equity compare to KR and SFM?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Coles Group ranks #247 out of 282 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Coles Group in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55. Coles Group's value of 2.72 is 394.5% above this benchmark. Historically, Coles Group's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.61 to 4.28 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.75 vs. the industry median of 0.55, Coles Group has consistently been above 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-Equity for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Retail - Defensive companies is 0.55, based on 282 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. Coles Group's current Debt-to-Equity of 2.72 is 394.5% 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 Coles Group and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Coles Group's current Debt-to-Equity is 2.72, which is near median its own 10-year median of 2.75. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Coles Group stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Coles Group (FRA:2OF) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €12.13, compared to a current price of €13.60 — trading 12.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 2.72, which is near median its 10-year median of 2.75 and 394.5% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 0.55. Coles Group's overall GF Score™ is 76/100 with 8 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 Coles Group (FRA:2OF), the current Debt-to-Equity is 2.72 as of Dec. 2025. 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 Coles Group (FRA:2OF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Coles Group stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of €13.60 is trading 12.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of €12.13.
GuruFocus considers Coles Group to be Modestly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for FRA:2OF:
Debt-to-Equity: 2.72 (near median its 10-year median of 2.75)
GF Value™: €12.13 vs. price of €13.60 (12.1% above fair value)
Industry Position: 394.5% above the Retail - Defensive median (#247 of 282)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:2OF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Coles is one of Australia's largest retailers, operating the second-largest supermarket chain behind market leader Woolworths, and the country's second-largest liquor chain. The group has an extensive store network of over 1,800 stores and roughly 80% of Australians live within a 10-minute drive from a Coles store. The retailer employs some 120,000 people, who process some 20 million individual customer transactions a week. This compares with Woolworths processing about 30 million customer transactions per week from Australia's population of 27 million.
76GF Score
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