ROE % is calculated as Net Income divided by its average Total Stockholders Equity over a certain period of time. WH Smith's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Feb. 2026 was $-73 Mil. WH Smith's average Total Stockholders Equity over the quarter that ended in Feb. 2026 was $191 Mil. Therefore, WH Smith's annualized ROE % for the quarter that ended in Feb. 2026 was -38.36%.
The historical rank and industry rank for WH Smith's ROE % or its related term are showing as below:
WHTPF'
s ROE % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -104.6 Med: 23.11 Max: 68.57
Current: -58.19
During the past 13 years, WH Smith's highest ROE % was 68.57%. The lowest was -104.60%. And the median was 23.11%.
WHTPF's ROE % is ranked worse than 95.08% of 1097
companies
in the Retail - Cyclical industry
Industry Median: 6.46
vs WHTPF: -58.19
WH Smith (OTCPK:WHTPF) 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 two times the semi-annual (Feb. 2026) net income data. The Revenue data used here is two times the semi-annual (Feb. 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.
WH Smith ROE % Related Terms
WH Smith ROE % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for WH Smith'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 Specialty Retail subindustry, WH Smith'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.
WH Smith ROE % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, WH Smith's ROE % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where WH Smith'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 two times the semi-annual (Feb. 2026) net income data.
ROE % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
WH Smith (WHTPF) has a ROE % of -38.36% as of Feb. 2026. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on WH Smith and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #1043 out of 1097 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 95.1%.
Is WH Smith's ROE % too high?
WH Smith's current ROE % is -38.36%. Based on the distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #1043 out of 1097 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 ROE % compare to CASY and WSM?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, WH Smith ranks #1043 out of 1097 companies for ROE %. This places WH Smith in the lower half of its industry. The industry median ROE % is 6.46. 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 - Cyclical company?
The median ROE % among Retail - Cyclical companies is 6.46, based on 1,097 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. 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 WH Smith and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median ROE % is 6.46 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. WH Smith's current ROE % is -38.36%. 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 ROE % of -38.36%. 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 ROE % is -38.36%. 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 ROE % calculated?
ROE % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For WH Smith (WHTPF), the current ROE % is -38.36% 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:
ROE %: -38.36%
GF Value™: $22.29 vs. price of $7.44 (66.6% below fair value)
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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