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Food Product Industry Key Financial Data 2023

The following analysis considers the 230 major publicly listed food product companies with a market capitalisation above $1 billion. The numbers in the tables are expressed in millions of dollars except for percentages and ratios.

Number 230
Expected Growth Rate 4,89%
Financials 2023
Total Revenues  $ 1.507.553,00
Operating Income   $    117.209,00
Free Cash Flows Firm  $       68.798,14
Effective Tax Rate  21,77%
10Y Median Operating Ratios
 Revenues Growth  5,9%
 Gross Margin  26,2%
Operating Margin 8,5%
Reinvestment Margin 3,5%
ROIC 9,2%
Sales to IC 1,35
Solvency Ratios
Debt to EV 17,1%
Debt to Equity 44,6%
Interest Coverage  8,09
Rating  Aa2/AA
Spread 0,85%
Beta
Unlevered Beta 2 y 0,23
Unlevered Beta 5 y 0,23

In 2023 the food product industry generated $1’507.5 billion in revenues, a decrease of -3.8% from the $1’567.7 billion of 2022.

Over the past 10 years, the median growth rate in revenues has been 5.9%.

Year Total Revenues
2023 1.507.553
2022 1.567.753
2021 1.444.158
2020 1.299.464
2019 1.214.643
2018 1.171.867
2017 1.117.156
2016 1.041.174
2015 998.168
2014 1.055.514
2013 973.286
2012 955.974

Overall, the food product industry registered an operating income of $117.2 billion in 2023. Regarding profitability, the 10-year median gross margin is 26.2%, while the 10-year median operating margin is equal to 8.5%.

Year Operating Income 
2023 117.209
2022 130.759
2021 122.032
2020 124.475
2019 110.187
2018 101.101
2017 99.897
2016 95.343
2015 83.281
2014 82.836
2013 79.632
2012 75.599

The total free cash flows to the firm for the food product industry instead, were equal to $68.7 billion in 2023.

Moving on to efficiency ratios, the food product industry’s 10-year median return on invested capital (ROIC) is 9.2%, while the 10-year median sales to invested capital is equal to 1.35.

The 10-year median reinvestment margin for the food products industry – expressed as total reinvestments in net capital expenditures, acquisitions, and R&D divided by total revenues – is 3.5%.

Multiplying the reinvestment margin, which shows how much food product companies have invested over the past years, by the sales to invested capital ratio, showing how efficiently food product companies have invested, is it possible to calculate the expected growth rate in revenues for the food product industry, equal to 4.89%.

Check out this post for a detailed explanation of how to calculate future revenue growth rates.

Median Expected Growth Rate
4,89%
Year Reinvestment Margin Sales To IC
2023 1,53% 1,31
2022 2,07% 1,36
2021 3,51% 1,34
2020 3,87% 1,31
2019 3,38% 1,28
2018 5,03% 1,30
2017 3,18% 1,41
2016 2,62% 1,38
2015 4,32% 1,38
2014 4,58% 1,52
2013 4,98% 1,53

As regards solvency ratios, the debt-to-enterprise value ratio for the food product industry is 17.1%, while the debt-to-equity ratio is 44.6%.

The interest coverage ratio instead, showing how much the operating income covers interest expenses, is equal to 8.09, which would translate into a credit rating for the food product industry equal to Aa2/AA based on Moody’s rating standards.

Finally, the unlevered beta of the food product industry – which is the beta depurated by the debt leverage – has been 0.23, for the past 2 years, and 0.23, for the past 5 years.

However, the beta is only one of the required inputs to calculate the appropriate discount rate for company valuation, check out this page where you can find the equity risk premium for different markets needed to calculate the required cost of equity.