Ingles Markets Incorporated's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Ingles Markets Incorporated (IMKTA) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Ingles Markets Incorporated vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 5,418M vs 822,543M combined for tracked competitors (0.7% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (+1.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs holding steady (+1.6%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Ingles Markets Incorporated generated 1.6% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs -14.4% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 1.9% net margin compares with 5.0% for the peer group.
- Scale: Ingles Markets Incorporated ranks #10 of 19 companies by market capitalization in the Grocery Stores industry, holding 0.7% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Ingles Markets Incorporated accounted for 0.7% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 0.6% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.21M compares with $0.34M for the peer group (0.6x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
IMKTA Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Ingles Markets Incorporated reported revenue growth of 1.64 % year on year in Q3 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -14.39 %.
With a net margin of 1.89 %, Ingles Markets Incorporated reported lower profitability than its competitors (4.99 %).
Ingles Markets Incorporated generated 0.65 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 0.55 % a year earlier.
Ingles Markets Incorporated vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Ingles Markets Incorporated and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (3) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (1) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Ingles Markets Incorporated's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Grocery Stores industry grew revenue 4.1% year over year, combined, vs 1.6% for Ingles Markets Incorporated. Ingles Markets Incorporated's share of combined industry revenue moved from 1.03% to 1.00%, a loss of 0.02 percentage points.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Competitors combined (11) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (6) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (10) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 37.50 % (3 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
IMKTA Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
IMKTA Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
IMKTA Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
IMKTA Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Target Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | United Natural Foods inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Village Super Market Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Walmart Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Weis Markets inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Ingles Markets Incorporated's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Ingles Markets Incorporated
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | - | 5,417.59 |
| Walmart Inc | 852,050.40 | 735,840.00 |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | 159,650.28 | 63,713.00 |
| Target Corporation | 71,300.79 | 106,377.00 |
| Kroger Co | 36,960.32 | 147,538.00 |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | 6,326.34 | 83,171.70 |
| SUBTOTAL | 1,139,515.33 | 1,198,648.87 |
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Sources: Ingles Markets Incorporated's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Ingles Markets Incorporated versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Food City (K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.) | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| The Fresh Market, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Bi-Lo, LLC. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Lidl (Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG) | Named by the company | 85% |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Food Lion (Koninlijke Ahold Delhaize America N.V.) | Named by the company | 85% |
| Target Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Earth Fare, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Publix Super Markets, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Whole Foods Market | Named by the company | 85% |
| Aldi, Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| Harris Teeter (owned by The Kroger Co.) | Named by the company | 85% |
| The Kroger Co. | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Ingles Markets Incorporated's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | Grocery 37.46 % |
| Walmart Inc | Walmart US 66.44 % |
| Sprouts Farmers Market Inc | Healthy grocery stores 100.00 % |
| United Natural Foods inc | Natural 53.98 % |
| Weis Markets inc | Retail Segment 57.57 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | - | 212,030 | 4,070 |
| Walmart Inc | 852,050 | 350,400 | 10,714 |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | 159,650 | 251,830 | 42,688 |
| Target Corporation | 71,301 | 256,330 | 8,313 |
| Kroger Co | 36,960 | 366,099 | 1,995 |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | 6,326 | 291,831 | 763 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 1,139,515 | 336,023 | 10,711 |
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Ingles Markets Incorporated's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 17 companies in Ingles Markets Incorporated's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Ingles Markets Incorporated ranks #10 of 17 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.66 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 4,521, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Publix Super Markets Inc | 159,658 | 64.83 % |
| 2 | Kroger Co | 39,542 | 16.06 % |
| 3 | Performance Food Group Company | 14,367 | 5.83 % |
| 4 | Albertsons Companies Inc | 6,332 | 2.57 % |
| 5 | Bbb Foods Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Sprouts Farmers Market Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Chefs Warehouse Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | United Natural Foods inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Weis Markets inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Ingles Markets Incorporated | 1,622 | 0.66 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Ingles Markets Incorporated's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-29.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bbb Foods Inc | 6,130 | 106.15 % |
| 6 | Sprouts Farmers Market Inc | 6,126 | -40.94 % |
| 7 | Chefs Warehouse Inc | 5,210 | 93.13 % |
| 8 | United Natural Foods inc | 2,891 | 45.81 % |
| 9 | Weis Markets inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 10 | Ingles Markets Incorporated | 1,622 | 24.52 % |
| 11 | Grocery Outlet Holding Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 12 | Natural Grocers By Vitamin Cottage Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 13 | Village Super Market Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 14 | Amcon Distributing Co | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 15 | Healthy Choice Wellness Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Ingles Markets Incorporated's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-29. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Grocery Stores industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (23 companies). See the full Grocery Stores industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 24.49 % | 24.79 % (avg) | -0.3 pp |
| Operating Margin | 2.64 % | industry median | +1.1 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 7.24 % | 3.13 % (avg) | +4.1 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 2.34 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 5.41 % | 2.66 % | 1.88 % | 11.95 % | 18.18 % | -0.24 % | -7.38 % | -0.51 % |
| Operating Margin | 3.26 % | 3.10 % | 3.58 % | 6.75 % | 6.31 % | 4.36 % | 2.04 % | 2.46 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 6.71 % | 5.97 % | 6.65 % | 13.12 % | 11.68 % | 7.16 % | 2.94 % | 3.44 % |
| P/E | 7.3x | 8.1x | 11.7x | 3.8x | 6.8x | 8.6x | 16.4x | 14.5x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Ingles Markets Incorporated's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Ingles Markets Incorporated is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Ingles Markets Incorporated's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Ingles Markets Incorporated falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.01x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 2.2% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Publix Super Markets Inc alone holds 65% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 4,521 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Ingles Markets Incorporated's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Ingles Markets Incorporated's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Ingles Markets Incorporated falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 26.1 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.01x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Publix Super Markets Inc , holding 64.83 % of industry market cap.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | 1.29 | 3.25 | 0.31 |
| Walmart Inc | 0.10 | 0.78 | 0.38 |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | - | 1.33 | - |
| Target Corporation | 0.21 | 0.96 | 1.02 |
| Kroger Co | 0.19 | 0.87 | 1.15 |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | 0.03 | 0.85 | 2.84 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | Q2 2026 | +1.6 % | -1.1 % |
| Walmart Inc | Q2 2026 | +5.9 % | -8.7 % |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | Q2 2026 | +1.2 % | +19.4 % |
| Target Corporation | Q1 2026 | +6.7 % | -24.6 % |
| Kroger Co | Q3 2026 | +2.9 % | +3.9 % |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | Q1 2026 | +7.7 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +4.8 % | -7.1 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | Q2 2026 | +1.7 % | -20.6 % |
| Walmart Inc | Q2 2026 | +4.5 % | +16.7 % |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | Q2 2026 | +0.9 % | +43.6 % |
| Target Corporation | Q1 2026 | +5.4 % | +31.0 % |
| Kroger Co | Q3 2026 | +3.1 % | +9.6 % |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | Q1 2026 | +8.0 % | - |
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Ingles Markets Incorporated's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | 4.02% | 4.52% | 6.32% |
| Walmart Inc | 7.78% | 13.37% | 21.78% |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | 26.17% | 30.58% | 43.06% |
| Target Corporation | 5.86% | 9.45% | 21.74% |
| Kroger Co | 1.57% | 2.37% | 11.23% |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | 0.81% | 1.87% | 7.54% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Ingles Markets Incorporated's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ingles Markets Incorporated | 15.48 | - |
| Walmart Inc | 38.56 | 1.16 |
| Publix Super Markets Inc | 33.12 | 2.51 |
| Target Corporation | 20.66 | 0.67 |
| Kroger Co | 49.42 | 0.25 |
| Albertsons Companies Inc | 35.43 | 0.08 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 29.88 | 0.95 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.