The business behind the dividend
| Measure | ALIT | Median | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | -296.6% | 10.6% | Net income ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Return on capital employed | -101.3% | 10.0% | Operating income ÷ (equity + total debt) |
| Owner earnings | $-2.91bn | $120.90m | Net income + depreciation & amortisation − capital expenditure |
| Free cash flow | $250.00m | $155.08m | Operating cash flow − capital expenditure |
| Operating margin | -136.6% | 14.3% | Operating income ÷ revenue |
| Net margin | -136.9% | 10.1% | Net income ÷ revenue |
| Debt to equity | 1.92x | 0.73x | Total debt ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Interest cover | -24.33x | 4.22x | Operating income ÷ interest expense |
| Current ratio | 1.31x | 1.55x | Current assets ÷ current liabilities |
| Long-term debt to working capital | 7.41x | 1.88x | Long-term debt ÷ (current assets − current liabilities) |
| Cash conversion | — | — | Operating cash flow ÷ net income |
| Accruals | -75.7% | -3.1% | (Net income − operating cash flow) ÷ total assets |
Not computed here: Cash conversion — why a blank is not a zero.
Ten years of it
The same measures, for every year the filings support. One year is a fact; a row is a business.
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | -296.6% | -3.6% | -7.7% | -1.4% | -0.8% | -3.6% |
| Return on capital employed | -101.3% | -1.4% | -1.1% | -1.3% | — | -1.3% |
| Operating margin | -136.6% | -3.9% | -3.4% | -4.3% | — | -3.9% |
| Net margin | -136.9% | -6.7% | -14.5% | -2.8% | — | -6.7% |
| Debt to equity | 1.92x | 0.47x | 0.63x | 0.64x | 0.69x | 0.64x |
| Current ratio | 1.31x | 1.42x | 1.27x | 1.20x | 1.16x | 1.27x |
How it compares in industrials
Among the 289 industrials companies here measured on free cash flow, Alight Inc. / Delaware pays out less than 94 of them. The median for that group is 24.4%, against this company’s 34.4%.
Closest on free cash flow
- C. H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) 33.7%
- Idex (IEX) 34.5%
- Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR) 34.7%
- Public Policy Holding (PPHC) 35.0%
Same sector and same denominator, so the figures are comparable. All 348 in industrials →