Skip to main content
Balance sheet and liquidity

Debt / equity

Total debt relative to shareholders' equity at the same fiscal period end - a balance-sheet leverage read.

Formula

Total debt ÷ shareholders' equity (same period end)

Served as: instant · annual. Annual and quarterly observations are never mixed unlabeled.

Where the inputs come from

  • LongTermDebt fallback chain (LongTermDebt, LongTermDebtNoncurrent, the including-current-maturities variant - the winning tag is disclosed per fact)
  • StockholdersEquity (same-period pairing)

Listed highest priority first. Every served figure carries its filing, fiscal period and accession; open any value on the financials page to see them.

How to compare it honestly

Compare within the same sector; capital-intensive and financial businesses run structurally higher leverage.

When it is not served

Not meaningful when reported shareholders' equity is zero or negative - shown as N/M, never as a negative ratio.

Missing data is missing evidence: it is never shown as zero and never treated as a conclusion.

What it cannot tell you

Book equity can be depressed by buybacks and intangibles; the ratio says nothing about maturity or cost of the debt.

Questions worth asking next

  • What does the debt maturity schedule look like in the filings?
  • How has interest coverage moved alongside leverage?

Research prompts, not recommendations.

See it computed from filings

Related in balance sheet and liquidity: Net debt · Current ratio · Quick ratio · Interest coverage

Definitions are descriptive and educational. Nothing here is a guaranteed signal or personalized investment advice. How the platform computes and cites every figure.

Educational content only. Not financial advice. TrendNalysis provides educational and informational financial analysis built from public SEC filings and economic data (FRED, BLS). It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Market pricing is not currently included. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.