Empire CoEMLAF +0.33%78 ROE % is 17.13% as of Apr. 2026, which is 29% above its 10-year median of 13.24. GuruFocus rates EMLAF with a GF Score™ of 78/100 and a GF Value™ of $34.55 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 306 Retail - Defensive companies, Empire Co ranks worse than 70.59% on this metric.
ROE % is calculated as Net Income divided by its average Total Stockholders Equity over a certain period of time. Empire Co's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was $617 Mil. Empire Co's average Total Stockholders Equity over the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was $3,599 Mil. Therefore, Empire Co's annualized ROE % for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was 17.13%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Empire Co's ROE % or its related term are showing as below:
EMLAF'
s ROE % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3.77 Med: 13.24 Max: 16.91
Current: 3.77
During the past 13 years, Empire Co's highest ROE % was 16.91%. The lowest was 3.77%. And the median was 13.24%.
EMLAF's ROE % is ranked worse than 70.59% of 306
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 8.53
vs EMLAF: 3.77
Empire Co (OTCPK:EMLAF) ROE % Explanation
ROE % measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity (also known as net assets or assets minus liabilities). ROE % shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. ROE %s between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.
The factors that affect a company's ROE % can be illustrated with the three-step DuPont Analysis:
Note:
The net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Apr. 2026) net income data. The Revenue data used here is four times the quarterly (Apr. 2026) revenue data. The same rule applies to Pre-Tax Income and Operating Income.
* In the five-step DuPont Analysis, Operating Income is only available for non-financial companies. Thus, for Insurance companies, we use EBIT as a substitution of Operating Income. For Banks, both Operating Income and EBIT is unavailable. Thus we combined Interest Burden and Operating Margin % into Pretax Margin %, and the DuPont Analysis is divided into four components instead.
* 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.
Be Aware
Net Income is used.
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the equity multiplier when investing in high ROE % companies. Like ROA %, ROE % is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their ROE %s can be extremely high.
Empire Co ROE % Related Terms
Empire Co ROE % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Empire Co's ROE % 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 Grocery Stores subindustry, Empire Co's ROE %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROE % 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 ROE % vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Empire Co's ROE % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Empire Co's ROE % 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 the calculation of annual ROE %, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data,
the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Apr. 2026) net income data.
ROE % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
Empire Co (EMLAF) has a ROE % of 17.13% as of Apr. 2026. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Empire Co and its competitors. This is 29% above median its historical median of 13.24. Over the past decade, Empire Co's ROE % has ranged from 3.77 to 16.91. According to the industry distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #216 out of 306 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 70.6%.
Is Empire Co's ROE % too high?
Empire Co's current ROE % of 17.13% is 29% above median its 10-year median of 13.24. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.77 to a high of 16.91. The Retail - Defensive industry median ROE % is 8.53. Empire Co's value of 17.13% is 100.8% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #216 out of 306 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Empire Co has a GF Score™ of 78/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Empire Co's ROE % compare to KR and SFM?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Empire Co ranks #216 out of 306 companies for ROE %. This places Empire Co in the lower half of its industry. The industry median ROE % is 8.53. Empire Co's value of 17.13% is 100.8% above this benchmark. Historically, Empire Co's own ROE % has ranged from 3.77 to 16.91 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 13.24 vs. the industry median of 8.53, Empire Co 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 ROE % for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median ROE % among Retail - Defensive companies is 8.53, based on 306 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROE % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROE % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Empire Co's current ROE % of 17.13% is 100.8% 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 ROE % mean?
A high ROE % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Empire Co and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median ROE % is 8.53 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Empire Co's current ROE % is 17.13%, which is 29% above median its own 10-year median of 13.24. 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 $34.55, compared to a current price of $36.43 — trading 5.4% above its estimated fair value. The current ROE % is 17.13%, which is 29% above median its 10-year median of 13.24 and 100.8% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 8.53. Empire Co's overall GF Score™ is 78/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROE % calculated?
ROE % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Empire Co (EMLAF), the current ROE % is 17.13% 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 $36.43 is trading 5.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of $34.55.
GuruFocus considers Empire Co to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for EMLAF:
ROE %: 17.13% (29% above median its 10-year median of 13.24)
GF Value™: $34.55 vs. price of $36.43 (5.4% above fair value)
Industry Position: 100.8% above the Retail - Defensive median (#216 of 306)
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.
78GF Score
Get the complete analysis for EMLAF
ROE % is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
EMLAF has been successfully added to your 
