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SunOpta

SOY.TO
47
Packaged Foods · Consumer Defensive
Price
C$8.84
+0.05 (+0.57%)
Market Cap
C$1.05B
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
47
Winston is serious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Dec 31, 2025
How the score breaks down
Quality
Weak
Growth
Strong
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Mixed
Valuation
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+19.9% over 4y

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

Diluted shares outstanding: 104.1M (2021) → 124.8M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

SunOpta makes plant-based food and drink products. Its main products include oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and other plant-based beverages, as well as fruit-based snacks and organic foods. The company sells mostly to large grocery retailers and foodservice companies across North America.

SunOpta earns revenue by manufacturing and selling these packaged goods, often producing private-label products for retailers alongside its own brands. It operates primarily in the United States and Canada and generates roughly $1 billion in annual sales. The company has built some competitive advantage by owning dedicated plant-based beverage production facilities, which are expensive to replicate. However, SunOpta faces real pressure from thin margins — a gross margin around 13% leaves little room for error — and intense competition from larger food companies entering the plant-based space. The key question going forward is whether demand for plant-based beverages continues to grow, or whether the category's recent slowdown in consumer adoption becomes a lasting headwind.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+13.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+158.6% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (2%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

19.1%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$168,999 cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

SunOpta is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 13%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
13.6%
Thin — 13.6% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
5.7%
Thin — 5.7% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
9.2%
Below par — 9.2% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+13.0%
Fast-growing sales (+13.0% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
N/A
Data not available
How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
8/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
312%
Turns 312% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
2.3%
Thin free cash flow (2.3%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
1.35
Elevated debt (1.35)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.77x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.8x)

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)
65.0x
Expensive — P/E 65.0

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+44.3
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (65.0 → 20.7)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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