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The Descartes Systems Group

DSG.TO
72
Software - Application · Technology
Price
C$107.80
+0.41 (+0.38%)
Market Cap
C$9.24B
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
72
Winston is happy
A high-quality business with solid fundamentals.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Apr 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Strong
Growth
Exceptional
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Exceptional
Valuation
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+1.6% over 4y

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

Diluted shares outstanding: 86.2M (2022) → 87.6M (2026)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Descartes Systems Group is a Canadian software company that helps businesses move goods around the world more efficiently. It sells tools for logistics and supply chain management — things like route planning, customs filing, shipment tracking, and trade compliance. Its customers include trucking companies, freight brokers, retailers, and manufacturers who need to coordinate complex shipping operations.

Descartes makes money by charging recurring subscription fees for access to its cloud-based software and data network. It operates globally, with customers in North America, Europe, and beyond, and generates roughly $600 million in annual revenue. Its main competitive advantage is its logistics network, which becomes more valuable as more carriers, customs agencies, and shippers connect to it — a classic network effect. The key growth driver is continued expansion through acquisitions of smaller logistics software companies, though paying too much for deals or struggling to integrate them remains the main risk to watch.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

+15.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+35.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$107M/ year

Rising (+12% vs prior year)

14.4% of revenue

In line with sector average (15%)

Investing heavily in future products and technology

Insider Activity

0.2%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$377M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

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

Growth + cash flow

The Descartes Systems Group is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 16%. 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

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
68.6%
Premium pricing power — 68.6% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
33.3%
Excellent — 33.3% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
14.4%
Good — 14.4% 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
+13.5%
Fast-growing sales (+13.5% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+22.6%
Earnings growing fast (+22.6% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

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
164%
Turns 164% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
37.3%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (37.3%)

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
0.00
Conservative — low debt load (0.00)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
321.00x
Comfortably covers interest (321.0x)

Interest coverage above 8. Profits cover interest many times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
38.0x
Pricey — P/E 38.0

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

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+9.0
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (38.0 → 29.0)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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