Margins by Sector

Data Used: Value Line database, of 6870 firms

Date of Analysis: Data used is as of January 2009

can be obtained by clicking here

on which companies are included in each industry


Industry Name Number of Firms EBITDASG&A/Sales EBITDA/Sales EBIT/Sales After-tax Operating Margin (EBIT(1-t) Net Margin
Advertising 30 59.67% 22.63% 17.93% 11.95% 2.26%
Aerospace/Defense 66 22.10% 14.54% 12.31% 8.31% 3.57%
Air Transport 44 26.53% 18.03% 13.57% 11.05% 0.17%
Apparel 53 45.33% 15.67% 12.98% 10.18% 2.69%
Auto & Truck 20 28.40% 17.80% 13.10% 7.96% 0.57%
Auto Parts 54 20.19% 10.79% 7.65% 5.56% 0.90%
Bank 477 NA NA NA NA NA
Bank (Canadian) 8 NA NA NA NA NA
Bank (Midwest) 39 NA NA NA NA NA
Beverage 41 58.34% 24.10% 20.00% 14.75% 5.77%
Biotechnology 108 85.30% 33.53% 26.91% 16.90% 8.33%
Building Materials 52 34.57% 18.73% 14.04% 10.51% 2.23%
Cable TV 25 77.22% 52.55% 34.41% 19.49% 3.28%
Canadian Energy 12 63.15% 53.79% 40.66% 28.84% 9.48%
Chemical (Basic) 19 27.82% 19.25% 15.05% 11.97% 6.40%
Chemical (Diversified) 33 39.35% 24.59% 19.87% 14.14% 5.55%
Chemical (Specialty) 88 35.95% 18.27% 14.08% 9.75% 2.69%
Coal 18 31.80% 26.44% 18.05% 15.76% 4.53%
Computer Software/Svcs 322 60.78% 28.43% 24.51% 17.24% 8.24%
Computers/Peripherals 125 32.57% 14.60% 11.61% 8.78% 3.55%
Diversified Co. 113 36.32% 26.43% 22.39% 17.93% 4.85%
Drug 342 83.10% 37.79% 30.15% 22.65% 8.38%
E-Commerce 54 64.47% 17.63% 12.69% 8.76% 3.38%
Educational Services 34 60.82% 21.25% 17.36% 11.69% 5.63%
Electric Util. (Central) 24 31.53% 30.14% 21.86% 14.67% 3.61%
Electric Utility (East) 26 34.46% 34.45% 25.85% 17.24% 4.49%
Electric Utility (West) 16 35.59% 34.14% 24.38% 16.51% 3.72%
Electrical Equipment 83 39.10% 18.83% 15.75% 11.48% 4.96%
Electronics 173 20.49% 10.04% 7.57% 5.61% 1.40%
Entertainment 84 45.86% 29.59% 23.75% 15.00% 3.66%
Entertainment Tech 33 56.83% 8.83% 3.93% 1.77% -1.45%
Environmental 79 44.37% 29.40% 21.85% 13.42% 3.48%
Financial Svcs. (Div.) 296 125.63% 87.45% 85.68% 76.59% -22.60%
Food Processing 109 33.84% 14.34% 11.98% 8.59% 2.98%
Food Wholesalers 18 15.79% 7.47% 5.66% 3.75% 0.94%
Foreign Electronics 10 42.65% 19.58% 13.50% 7.43% 1.67%
Furn/Home Furnishings 34 35.08% 13.39% 10.51% 7.04% 1.43%
Grocery 14 29.30% 7.95% 5.87% 3.81% 1.06%
Healthcare Information 29 71.11% 28.76% 20.66% 14.16% 7.79%
Heavy Construction 14 12.41% 7.09% 5.98% 3.85% 2.23%
Homebuilding 32 -3.68% -15.39% -16.16% -16.36% -10.34%
Hotel/Gaming 68 45.78% 29.58% 22.98% 15.26% 3.26%
Household Products 26 52.54% 25.12% 21.24% 15.33% 5.90%
Human Resources 31 25.24% 6.91% 5.69% 3.31% 1.20%
Industrial Services 167 28.91% 15.69% 11.76% 8.27% 2.03%
Information Services 34 41.99% 26.12% 21.26% 14.72% 5.92%
Insurance (Life) 35 NA NA NA NA NA
Insurance (Prop/Cas.) 78 NA NA NA NA NA
Internet 208 58.88% 24.56% 19.23% 13.94% 6.53%
Investment Co. 17 NA NA NA NA NA
Investment Co.(Foreign) 16 NA NA NA NA NA
Machinery 124 32.35% 16.76% 13.72% 9.49% 3.49%
Manuf. Housing/RV 18 15.22% 4.91% 3.83% 2.37% -1.61%
Maritime 56 48.16% 40.96% 30.66% 29.09% 13.32%
Medical Services 160 27.88% 14.43% 12.69% 8.16% 2.38%
Medical Supplies 252 32.86% 13.84% 11.53% 8.54% 3.60%
Metal Fabricating 35 28.04% 17.15% 14.65% 10.22% 2.71%
Metals & Mining (Div.) 78 44.17% 41.33% 36.00% 25.33% 5.94%
Natural Gas (Div.) 34 53.30% 46.73% 34.06% 23.75% 9.41%
Natural Gas Utility 25 33.69% 19.35% 14.77% 10.36% 2.30%
Newspaper 16 55.47% 29.13% 21.90% 16.06% 2.18%
Office Equip/Supplies 26 36.53% 12.57% 9.94% 6.92% 1.74%
Oil/Gas Distribution 19 24.93% 19.59% 15.24% 12.24% 4.25%
Oilfield Svcs/Equip. 112 38.90% 32.17% 26.36% 19.65% 8.24%
Packaging & Container 33 27.64% 17.87% 13.39% 10.04% 1.97%
Paper/Forest Products 38 26.55% 18.91% 12.24% 10.31% 0.80%
Petroleum (Integrated) 25 27.09% 21.81% 17.96% 10.45% 5.11%
Petroleum (Producing) 188 53.38% 49.16% 38.57% 26.43% 6.99%
Pharmacy Services 19 21.90% 7.67% 6.41% 4.13% 1.43%
Power 66 28.62% 24.20% 18.09% 12.74% 2.50%
Precious Metals 75 59.47% 47.77% 32.80% 23.79% 9.32%
Precision Instrument 90 52.22% 21.80% 16.31% 12.59% 4.11%
Property Management 17 48.65% 44.61% 35.51% 27.99% 4.02%
Publishing 27 44.26% 21.18% 17.26% 10.27% 1.30%
R.E.I.T. 144 26.61% 24.46% 18.11% 16.08% 61.19%
Railroad 15 40.51% 40.10% 31.92% 20.60% 7.24%
Recreation 64 46.59% 25.33% 19.56% 15.62% 4.49%
Reinsurance 11 NA NA NA NA NA
Restaurant 68 33.50% 21.12% 16.35% 13.16% 4.10%
Retail (Special Lines) 155 37.97% 12.26% 9.37% 6.06% 1.82%
Retail Automotive 16 22.35% 7.92% 6.72% 4.31% 1.26%
Retail Building Supply 8 35.78% 13.93% 11.59% 7.31% 2.26%
Retail Store 38 28.14% 8.86% 6.93% 4.47% 1.56%
Securities Brokerage 32 34.98% 34.53% 33.95% 25.61% -1.40%
Semiconductor 122 67.75% 39.78% 27.73% 21.97% 4.69%
Semiconductor Equip 16 51.49% 27.93% 23.75% 17.41% 4.57%
Shoe 19 45.77% 14.23% 12.52% 8.44% 1.68%
Steel (General) 20 20.73% 14.46% 12.53% 8.29% 4.36%
Steel (Integrated) 14 28.77% 23.22% 18.78% 14.41% 5.67%
Telecom. Equipment 110 47.26% 17.68% 13.97% 10.62% 2.81%
Telecom. Services 140 68.49% 48.00% 39.80% 28.38% 3.45%
Thrift 234 NA NA NA NA NA
Tobacco 12 15.66% 10.33% 9.68% 6.66% 3.00%
Toiletries/Cosmetics 23 62.61% 14.65% 12.03% 7.97% 3.04%
Trucking 33 24.87% 18.33% 13.28% 8.54% 0.95%
Utility (Foreign) 5 26.60% 23.93% 15.29% 9.47% 0.01%
Water Utility 16 54.96% 51.63% 40.45% 25.93% 3.63%
Wireless Networking 57 51.07% 26.03% 18.28% 11.63% 3.52%
Public/Private Equity 10 71.25% 61.81% 53.29% 47.57% 22.90%
Funeral Services 6 35.17% 23.12% 20.82% 13.16% 2.96%
Total Market 6870 41.63% 25.26% 20.77% 14.61% 3.44%


Last Updated in January 2009
By Aswath Damodaran