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Smithfield FoodsSFD +0.55%30 Debt-to-Equity is 0.35 as of Mar. 2026, which is 8% below its 10-year median of 0.38. GuruFocus rates SFD with a GF Score™ of 30/100. The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,745 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Smithfield Foods ranks better than 54.96% 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 Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
SFD'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.34 Med: 0.38 Max: 0.49
Current: 0.35
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Smithfield Foods was 0.49. The lowest was 0.34. And the median was 0.38.
SFD's Debt-to-Equity is ranked better than 54.96% of 1745
companies
in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry
Industry Median: 0.41
vs SFD: 0.35
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.
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Smithfield Foods'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 Packaged Foods subindustry, Smithfield Foods'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.
Smithfield Foods Debt-to-Equity vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Smithfield Foods's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Smithfield Foods'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.
Smithfield Foods (SFD) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.35 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Smithfield Foods and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 0.38. Over the past decade, Smithfield Foods' Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.34 to 0.49. According to the industry distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #786 out of 1745 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 45%.
Is Smithfield Foods' Debt-to-Equity too high?
Smithfield Foods' current Debt-to-Equity of 0.35 is near median its 10-year median of 0.38. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.34 to a high of 0.49. The Consumer Packaged Goods industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Smithfield Foods' value of 0.35 is 14.6% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #786 out of 1745 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-Equity compare to DAR and SJM?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Smithfield Foods ranks #786 out of 1745 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This puts Smithfield Foods in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41. Smithfield Foods' value of 0.35 is 14.6% below this benchmark. Historically, Smithfield Foods' own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.34 to 0.49 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.38 vs. the industry median of 0.41, 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-Equity for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Consumer Packaged Goods companies is 0.41, based on 1,745 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. Smithfield Foods's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.35 is 14.6% 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-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 Smithfield Foods and its competitors. For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.41 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Smithfield Foods's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.35, which is near median its own 10-year median of 0.38. 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-Equity of 0.35. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.35, which is near median its 10-year median of 0.38 and 14.6% below the Consumer Packaged Goods industry median of 0.41. 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-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Smithfield Foods (SFD), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.35 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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