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High Quality Food SpAMIL:HQF 29 Debt-to-Equity is 1.37 as of Dec. 2025, which is 5% above its 10-year median of 1.30. GuruFocus rates MIL:HQF with a GF Score™ of 29/100. The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 277 Retail - Defensive companies, High Quality Food SpA ranks worse than 74.37% 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 High Quality Food SpA's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
MIL:HQF'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.97 Med: 1.3 Max: 1.54
Current: 1.37
During the past 5 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of High Quality Food SpA was 1.54. The lowest was 0.97. And the median was 1.30.
MIL:HQF's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 74.37% of 277
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 0.56
vs MIL:HQF: 1.37
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.
High Quality Food SpA Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
High Quality Food SpA Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
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The historical data trend for High Quality Food SpA'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.
MIL:HQF vs SYY, USFD, PFGC: Debt-to-Equity Comparison
For the Food Distribution subindustry, High Quality Food SpA'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.
High Quality Food SpA Debt-to-Equity vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, High Quality Food SpA's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where High Quality Food SpA'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.
High Quality Food SpA (MIL:HQF) has a Debt-to-Equity of 1.37 as of Dec. 2025. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on High Quality Food SpA and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 1.30. Over the past decade, High Quality Food SpA's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.97 to 1.54. According to the industry distribution chart, High Quality Food SpA ranks #206 out of 277 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 74.4%.
Is High Quality Food SpA's Debt-to-Equity too high?
High Quality Food SpA's current Debt-to-Equity of 1.37 is near median its 10-year median of 1.30. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.97 to a high of 1.54. The Retail - Defensive industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.56. High Quality Food SpA's value of 1.37 is 144.6% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, High Quality Food SpA ranks #206 out of 277 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, High Quality Food SpA has a GF Score™ of 29/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does High Quality Food SpA's Debt-to-Equity compare to SYY and USFD?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, High Quality Food SpA ranks #206 out of 277 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places High Quality Food SpA in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.56. High Quality Food SpA's value of 1.37 is 144.6% above this benchmark. Historically, High Quality Food SpA's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.97 to 1.54 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 1.30 vs. the industry median of 0.56, High Quality Food SpA 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 0.56, based on 277 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. High Quality Food SpA's current Debt-to-Equity of 1.37 is 144.6% 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 High Quality Food SpA and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.56 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. High Quality Food SpA's current Debt-to-Equity is 1.37, which is near median its own 10-year median of 1.30. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is High Quality Food SpA stock overvalued right now?
High Quality Food SpA (MIL:HQF) has a current Debt-to-Equity of 1.37. The current Debt-to-Equity is 1.37, which is near median its 10-year median of 1.30 and 144.6% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 0.56. High Quality Food SpA's overall GF Score™ is 29/100 with 7 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 High Quality Food SpA (MIL:HQF), the current Debt-to-Equity is 1.37 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.
High Quality Food SpA specializes in producing and marketing food products mainly for the hotel and restaurant sectors. It offers meats, charcuterie products, cheese products, fish and seafood products, fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery products, pasta, rice and cereals, oil, sauces and condiments, canned and tinned products, etc. The company also sells accessories for the catering industry such as vacuum packing, bamboo skewers, packaging, etc. Geographically, the company derives a majority of its revenue from Italy and the rest from other parts of Europe, and other countries.
29GF Score
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