WH SmithWHTPF -8.03%55 Interest Coverage is 1.00 as of Feb. 2026, which is 94% below its 10-year median of 17.94. GuruFocus rates WHTPF with a GF Score™ of 55/100 and a GF Value™ of $22.29. The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 827 Retail - Cyclical companies, WH Smith ranks worse than 77.03% on this metric.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's
Operating Income
by its Interest Expense. WH Smith's
Operating Income
for the
six
months ended in Feb. 2026 was $35 Mil. WH Smith's Interest Expense for the
six
months ended in Feb. 2026 was $-35 Mil.
WH Smith's interest coverage for the quarter that ended in Feb. 2026 was 1.00.
The higher the ratio, the stronger the company's financial strength is.
Warning Sign:
Ben Graham prefers companies' interest coverage to be at least 5. WH Smith PLC interest coverage is 2.68, which is low.
The historical rank and industry rank for WH Smith's Interest Coverage or its related term are showing as below:
WHTPF'
s Interest Coverage Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2.68 Med: 17.94 Max: 74.5
Current: 2.68
WHTPF's Interest Coverage is ranked worse than 77.03% of 827
companies
in the Retail - Cyclical industry
Industry Median: 7.91
vs WHTPF: 2.68
WH Smith (OTCPK:WHTPF) Interest Coverage Explanation
Ben Graham requires that a company has a minimum interest coverage of 5 with the companies he invested. If the interest coverage is less than 2, the company is burdened by debt. Any business slow or recession may drag the company into a situation where it cannot pay the interest on its debt.
Interest Coverage is an important factor when GuruFocus ranks a company's overage Financial Strength .
WH Smith Interest Coverage Related Terms
WH Smith Interest Coverage Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for WH Smith's Interest Coverage 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.
Note: For Interest Coverage, "No debt" indicates no long-term debt. An indication of "No Debt" does not necessarily mean that the company has no long-term debt obligations; it could be due to missing data in the quarterly or annual report. Use caution when interpreting this information.
WHTPF vs CASY, WSM, ULTA: Interest Coverage Comparison
For the Specialty Retail subindustry, WH Smith's Interest Coverage, along with its competitors' market caps and Interest Coverage 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.
WH Smith Interest Coverage vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, WH Smith's Interest Coverage distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where WH Smith's Interest Coverage falls into.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's Operating Income (EBIT) by its Interest Expense:
* 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.
WH Smith (WHTPF) has a Interest Coverage of 1.00 as of Feb. 2026. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on WH Smith and its competitors. This is 94% below median its historical median of 17.94. Over the past decade, WH Smith's Interest Coverage has ranged from 2.68 to 74.50. According to the industry distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #637 out of 827 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 77%.
Is WH Smith's Interest Coverage too high?
WH Smith's current Interest Coverage of 1.00 is 94% below median its 10-year median of 17.94. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.68 to a high of 74.50. The Retail - Cyclical industry median Interest Coverage is 7.91. WH Smith's value of 1.00 is 87.4% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #637 out of 827 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, WH Smith has a GF Score™ of 55/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does WH Smith's Interest Coverage compare to CASY and WSM?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #637 out of 827 companies for Interest Coverage. This places WH Smith in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Interest Coverage is 7.91. WH Smith's value of 1.00 is 87.4% below this benchmark. Historically, WH Smith's own Interest Coverage has ranged from 2.68 to 74.50 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 17.94 vs. the industry median of 7.91, WH Smith 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 Interest Coverage for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Interest Coverage among Retail - Cyclical companies is 7.91, based on 827 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Interest Coverage significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Interest Coverage should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. WH Smith's current Interest Coverage of 1.00 is 87.4% 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 Interest Coverage mean?
A high Interest Coverage can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on WH Smith and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Interest Coverage is 7.91 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. WH Smith's current Interest Coverage is 1.00, which is 94% below median its own 10-year median of 17.94. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is WH Smith stock overvalued right now?
WH Smith (WHTPF) has a current Interest Coverage of 1.00. The stock's GF Value™ is $22.29, compared to a current price of $7.44 — trading 66.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Interest Coverage is 1.00, which is 94% below median its 10-year median of 17.94 and 87.4% below the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 7.91. WH Smith's overall GF Score™ is 55/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Interest Coverage calculated?
Interest Coverage is calculated from a company's financial statements. For WH Smith (WHTPF), the current Interest Coverage is 1.00 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 WH Smith (WHTPF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, WH Smith stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $7.44 is trading 66.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $22.29.
Key valuation signals for WHTPF:
Interest Coverage: 1.00 (94% below median its 10-year median of 17.94)
GF Value™: $22.29 vs. price of $7.44 (66.6% below fair value)
Industry Position: 87.4% below the Retail - Cyclical median (#637 of 827)
No single metric tells the full story. See the WHTPF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
WH Smith PLC is a travel retailer providing travel essentials through stores in high-footfall transport hubs, operating as a pure-play travel retail business following the sale of its High Street operations. The Company offers a broad portfolio of products and services, including books and magazines, food-to-go, beverages, health and beauty items, travel and technology accessories, and selected partner services. Its operations are organised into three segments: the UK, which generates the majority of revenue and operates stores across airports, hospitals, railway stations, and service areas; North America, with stores mainly in airports and a Resorts business in Las Vegas; and the Rest of the World.
55GF Score
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