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Empire CoEMLAF 79 Net-Net Working Capital is $-33.23 as of Apr. 2026. GuruFocus rates EMLAF with a GF Score™ of 79/100 and a GF Value™ of $34.48 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 80 Retail - Defensive companies, Empire Co ranks worse than 1249998.75% on this metric.
In calculating the Net-Net Working Capital (NNWC), Benjamin Graham assumed that a company's accounts receivable is only worth 75% its value, its inventory is only worth 50% of its value, but its liabilities have to be paid in full. In addition, Graham believed that preferred stock belongs on the liability side of the balance sheet, not as part of capital and surplus. This is a conservative way of estimating the company's value.
Empire Co's Net-Net Working Capital for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was $-33.23.
The industry rank for Empire Co's Net-Net Working Capital or its related term are showing as below:
EMLAF's Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital is not ranked *
in the Retail - Defensive industry.
Industry Median: 5.555 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital only.
Empire Co (OTCPK:EMLAF) Net-Net Working Capital Explanation
One research study, covering the years 1970 through 1983 showed that portfolios picked at the beginning of each year, and held for one year, returned 29.4 percent, on average, over the 13-year period, compared to 11.5 percent for the S&P 500 Index. Other studies of Graham's strategy produced similar results.
Benjamin Graham looked for companies whose market values were less than two-thirds of their net-net value. They are collected under our Net-Net screener.
Empire Co Net-Net Working Capital Related Terms
Empire Co Net-Net Working Capital Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Empire Co's Net-Net Working Capital 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.
EMLAF vs KR, SFM, ACI: Net-Net Working Capital Comparison
For the Grocery Stores subindustry, Empire Co's Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital 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.
Empire Co Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Empire Co's Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Empire Co's Price-to-Net-Net-Working-Capital 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.
In calculating the Net-Net Working Capital (NNWC), Benjamin Graham assumed that a company's accounts receivable is only worth 75% its value, its inventory is only worth 50% of its value, but its liabilities have to be paid in full.
In addition, Graham believed that preferred stock belongs on the liability side of the balance sheet, not as part of capital and surplus. In "Security Analysis", preferred stock is dubbed "an imperfect creditorship position" that is best placed on the balance sheet alongside funded debt.
This is a conservative way of estimating the company's value.
What does a Net-Net Working Capital of $-33.23 mean?
Empire Co (EMLAF) has a Net-Net Working Capital of $-33.23 as of Apr. 2026. Ben Graham defined net-net working capital as the per-share sum of cash, 75% of receivables and 50% of inventory less total liabilities. View historical data on Empire Co According to the industry distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #999999 out of 80 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry.
Is Empire Co's Net-Net Working Capital too high?
Empire Co's current Net-Net Working Capital is $-33.23. Based on the distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #999999 out of 80 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Empire Co has a GF Score™ of 79/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Empire Co's Net-Net Working Capital compare to KR and SFM?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #999999 out of 80 companies for Net-Net Working Capital. This places Empire Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Net-Net Working Capital is 5.56. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Net-Net Working Capital for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Net-Net Working Capital among Retail - Defensive companies is 5.56, based on 80 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Net-Net Working Capital significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Net-Net Working Capital should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Net-Net Working Capital mean?
A high Net-Net Working Capital can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Ben Graham defined net-net working capital as the per-share sum of cash, 75% of receivables and 50% of inventory less total liabilities. View historical data on Empire Co For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Net-Net Working Capital is 5.56 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Empire Co's current Net-Net Working Capital is $-33.23. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Empire Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Empire Co (EMLAF) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $34.48, compared to a current price of $34.55 — trading 0.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Net-Net Working Capital is $-33.23. Empire Co's overall GF Score™ is 79/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Net-Net Working Capital calculated?
Net-Net Working Capital is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Empire Co (EMLAF), the current Net-Net Working Capital is $-33.23 as of Apr. 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 Empire Co (EMLAF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Empire Co stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $34.55 is trading 0.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of $34.48.
GuruFocus considers Empire Co to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for EMLAF:
Net-Net Working Capital: $-33.23
GF Value™: $34.48 vs. price of $34.55 (0.2% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the EMLAF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Empire Co Ltd is a Canadian company whose key businesses are food retailing and related real estate. The Company's business operations were conducted through its two reportable segments: Food retailing and Investments and other operations. The Food retailing segment is comprised of three operating segments: Sobeys National, Farm Boy and Longo's. Food retailing consists of corporate and franchisee-owned retail food stores, and includes convenience and fuel stores, retail pharmacy stores and in-store pharmacies, as well as an e-commerce grocery-business, providing customers offerings in fresh and non-fresh grocery, fuel, pharmacy, health and beauty care and general merchandise. The Investments and other operations consists of investments in Crombie REIT, real estate partnership.
79GF Score
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