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A & W Food Services of Canada

AW.TO
63
Restaurants · Consumer Cyclical
Price
C$36.55
+0.12 (+0.33%)
Market Cap
C$877.3M
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
63
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Strong
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Mixed
Valuation
Good
Dividends
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+403.5% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 4.8M (2021) → 24.1M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

A & W Food Services of Canada is a fast-food restaurant chain that sells burgers, fries, onion rings, and breakfast items to everyday Canadian consumers. It is one of Canada's oldest and largest burger chains, operating under the iconic A & W brand with its signature Teen Burger and root beer served in frosty mugs. The company is separate from the American A & W brand and focuses entirely on the Canadian market.

The company makes money by collecting royalties and fees from its network of franchised restaurant locations across Canada, which gives it relatively stable income without owning most of the restaurants directly. It operates coast to coast in Canada with over 1,000 locations, and its franchise model creates a durable, asset-light business with consistent cash flows. The main risk the company faces is rising food and labor costs squeezing franchisee profitability, which could slow new restaurant openings and pressure the royalty income that drives its revenue.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
47.5%
Healthy — 47.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
29.1%
Excellent — 29.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
18.8%
Strong — 18.8% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
-1.6%
Shrinking sales (-1.6% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+216.7%
Earnings growing fast (+216.7% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
5/8 quarters
Mixed — about half the quarters showed growth

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
141%
Turns 141% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
25.4%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (25.4%)

Free cash flow margin above 20%. Out of every $100 in sales, more than $20 is real cash they keep.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
1.21
Elevated debt (1.21)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
2.20x
Tight — interest eats into profit (2.2x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
16.0x
Fair value — P/E 16.0

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+0.7
GROWING
Earnings roughly flat

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
5.27%
Healthy income — 5.27% yield

Generous yield. Worth checking whether the payout is sustainable.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
N/A
Data not available

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