Why the same ratio has different values
Two sites publish two figures for one company's debt-to-equity and neither states its definition. Both are usually correct. The word “debt” names several different lines on a balance sheet, and which one a publisher picked changes the answer by more than the answer itself is worth.
Each page below computes every published definition from the same filed statements of the same fiscal year, names the line items each one reads, and states which definition our own product prints. No other publisher's figure is quoted, and no claim is made that any of them is wrong. They measure different things, and these pages say which.
Debt to equity
5 published definitions: long-term debt to equity; borrowings to equity; total debt to equity; total debt to total equity including minority interests; total liabilities to equity.
- Apple Inc. (AAPL)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 1.0623 to 3.8722, a factor of 3.65.
- Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)
FY2026: the 5 definitions span 0.0702 to 0.7143, a factor of 10.18.
- The Coca-Cola Company (KO)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 1.3093 to 2.1928, a factor of 1.67.
- Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 0.1959 to 1.6436, a factor of 8.39.
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 0.4836 to 1.443, a factor of 2.98.
- NIKE, Inc. (NKE)
FY2026: the 5 definitions span 0.3997 to 1.5839, a factor of 3.96.
- Walmart Inc. (WMT)
FY2026: the 5 definitions span 0.3476 to 1.7947, a factor of 5.16.
- The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 3.6167 to 7.2022, a factor of 1.99.
- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 0.8325 to 1.1253, a factor of 1.35.
- Adobe Inc. (ADBE)
FY2025: the 5 definitions span 0.5343 to 1.5377, a factor of 2.88.
Return on equity
3 published definitions: net income over closing equity; net income over average equity; net income over total equity including minority interests.
- Apple Inc. (AAPL)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 151.91 to 171.42, a factor of 1.13.
- Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)
FY2026: the 3 definitions span 30.23 to 34.04, a factor of 1.13.
- The Coca-Cola Company (KO)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 38.24 to 45.97, a factor of 1.2.
- Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 27.77 to 30.69, a factor of 1.11.
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 32.87 to 35.03, a factor of 1.07.
- NIKE, Inc. (NKE)
FY2026: the 3 definitions span 20.91 to 22.14, a factor of 1.06.
- Walmart Inc. (WMT)
FY2026: the 3 definitions span 20.68 to 22.97, a factor of 1.11.
- The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 110.48 to 145.54, a factor of 1.32.
- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 30.15 to 30.73, a factor of 1.02.
- Adobe Inc. (ADBE)
FY2025: the 3 definitions span 55.43 to 61.34, a factor of 1.11.
20 pages. A company whose filings do not carry enough of the named lines to show a real disagreement produces no page. Research, not advice.