Reading the tape
NASDAQ: IMKTA
Ingles Markets, Incorporated
Consumer Defensive · Grocery Stores
Market Cap
$1.69B
52w High
$95.62
52w Low
$59.09
P/E
17.78
Volume
12.42K
Outstanding Shares
18.99M
Price vs Fundamentals
Why The Stock Is Moving
Fundamentals are supporting the moveModerate confidence
Note: The most recent financial data is over 3 months old. Metrics shown may not reflect the latest reporting period.
1Y Price: 38.91%Revenue (TTM): -0.51%FCF (TTM): 587.69%P/FCF: 45th pct
What changed
The stock rose 38.91% over the last year. Revenue declined 0.51% over the trailing twelve months. Operating margin moved from 2.04% to 2.46%. Free cash flow grew 587.69% over the trailing twelve months.
What the market seems to be pricing
The stock move broadly lines up with stronger business momentum, and the shares are still only around the 45th percentile of their historical P/FCF range.
What would invalidate this read
Operating margin is at 2.46%. Revenue declined 0.51% — this thesis depends on that trajectory holding. If revenue growth, margins, or free cash flow roll over while the stock keeps climbing, more of the move would be coming from multiple expansion than business progress.
Company profile
Ingles Markets, Incorporated operates a chain of supermarkets in the southeast United States.
CEOJames W. Lanning
SectorConsumer Defensive
IndustryGrocery Stores
Employees11,072
IPO dateSep 22, 1987
Valuation
Forward P/E—
EV/EBITDA5.87
Enterprise value$1.48B
Stock splits
No stock splits recorded for this ticker.
Profitability & growth
Revenue growth6.59%
Gross margin24.13%▲3.64%vs FY2024
Operating margin2.46%▼15.51%vs FY2024
ROE5.17%▼24.24%vs FY2024
Analyst consensus
Rating—
Target price—
Analyst ratings tend to be lagging indicators. Use as one signal among many.
Earnings
Full quarter-by-quarter history of actuals vs estimates. Switch into compare mode to inspect one metric year-over-year.
Next report
May 7, 2026
Q2 FY26 · EPS est — · Revenue est —
View
Dividends
$0.66/shareQuarterlyDividend Achiever · 12yrSafeIMKTA pays a dividend with a 0.74% dividend yield, 12 consecutive years of growth, covered 3.2× by free cash flow.
Dividend Yield
0.74%
Annual Div / Share
$0.66
5yr CAGR
+0%
Payout Ratio
12.9%
Safe
Dividend Growth Rate
3yr CAGR
+0%
5yr CAGR
+0%
10yr CAGR
+0%
Dividend Safety
10/10Safe
Dividend History
Annual dividends paid per share
YearAnnual DivYoY
2025$0.66+0.0%
2024$0.66+0.0%
2023$0.66+0.0%
2022$0.66+0.0%
2021$0.66+0.0%
2020$0.66+0.0%
2019$0.66+0.0%
Income Projection
Invest
$
Growth rate:
Reinvest dividends
Today
$7/yr
$1/mo
In 5 yrs
$7/yr
$1/mo
In 10 yrs
$7/yr
$1/mo
| Today | In 5 yrs | In 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|
$7/yr $1/mo | $7/yr $1/mo | $7/yr $1/mo |
Analysis
Dividend Strengths
Dividend Achiever
IMKTA has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years — qualifying as a Dividend Achiever, demonstrating long-term commitment to shareholder income.
Well-covered by free cash flow
The dividend is covered 3.2× by free cash flow, indicating the company generates sufficient cash to sustain and potentially grow the payout without straining its finances.
Risks to Watch
No strong risk signal stands out from the latest period pair.