Empire Co Ltd

EMP.A

Equity

ISIN null / Valor 687330

Toronto Stock Exchange (2025-12-19)

CAD 46.60-1.46%

Empire Co Ltd
UMushroom community rating:

0.00 0 votes No rating yet

NegativeNeutralPositive

About company

Empire Company Limited, headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, is a prominent Canadian entity primarily engaged in the food retailing and real estate sectors. Listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker EMP.A, the company operates through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sobeys Inc., which manages a variety of well-known grocery banners such as Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, and IGA, providing food-shopping services across Canada. In addition to its core food retailing operations, Empire Company Limited is involved in real estate development through partnerships with Crombie REIT and Genstar, focusing on both commercial and residential properties. Established in 1907, the company has a long-standing presence in the Canadian market, aiming to enhance shareholder value through its diverse business activities.

Summarized from source with an LLMView SourceSector: Finance

Quarterly financials

Q4 sales were $7,637 million, up 3.0% year‑over‑year; gross profit for the quarter was $2,109 million and operating income was $313 million. Same‑store food sales increased 3.8%.

EPS and adjusted results

Reported net earnings for the quarter were $173 million ($0.74 per share) versus $149 million ($0.61) a year earlier. Adjusted net earnings were $173 million ($0.74) versus $154 million ($0.63) last year — a 12.3% increase in adjusted net earnings (or 17.5% per share) for the quarter; full‑year adjusted EPS rose 8.8% and was within management’s financial framework.

Margins and EBITDA

Quarterly gross margin improved to 27.6% from 27.1% a year earlier. EBITDA for the quarter was $599 million (adjusted EBITDA also $599 million) and adjusted EBITDA margin was 7.8% versus 7.6% in the prior year quarter.

Capital allocation — dividends

Empire Co Ltd declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share (payable July 31, 2025; record date July 15, 2025), reflecting a 10.0% increase in the annualized dividend rate and marking the 30th consecutive year of a dividend increase.

Capital allocation — share buybacks and NCIB

The company repurchased $400 million of shares in fiscal 2025 and has renewed its NCIB, filing to repurchase up to 11,500,000 Class A shares (~9.6% of the public float) with the intention to repurchase up to $400 million of Class A shares in fiscal 2026. Under the prior NCIB (to July 1, 2025) the company purchased roughly 9.9 million Class A shares (weighted‑average prices around $42.25).

Capital investment and priorities

Empire expects a capital investment program of approximately $850 million in fiscal 2026 and will continue to prioritize store renovations/conversions (targeting ~20–25% of the network renovated between fiscal 2024–2026), digital and data investments (e‑commerce, Scene+), and efficiency/cost control initiatives.

Summarized from source with an LLMView Source

Key figures

5.72%1Y

31.1%3Y

34.5%5Y

Performance

22.4%1Y

20.6%3Y

20.7%5Y

Volatility