Canadian Western Bank (CWB.TO) Debt-to-Equity Ratio
As of May 25, 2026
TL;DR — CWB.TO debt-to-equity is 1.72
Canadian Western Bank (CWB.TO) currently carries a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72 (high). Interest coverage is N/A and the current ratio is 0.00. Significantly debt-heavy. Often seen in financials (which are not directly comparable) and in companies executing aggressive buybacks. Cash-flow durability is the key question.
Current leverage profile
Debt / Equity
1.72
Total debt / shareholder equity
Interest coverage
N/A
EBIT / interest expense
Current ratio
0.00
Short-term liquidity
D/E in isolation is a starting point, not a verdict. To get a credible read on solvency you also want to see interest coverage above 3x (so EBIT comfortably pays interest) and a current ratio above 1.2 (so short-term assets cover short-term obligations). When those two are healthy, even a higher D/E is usually manageable.
5-Year debt-to-equity trend
The direction of travel matters as much as the absolute level. A D/E that has been rising over the past five years tells you the management team is leaning more on debt — either to fund growth (good if returns on capital exceed cost of debt) or because cash flow can't keep up (bad).
Series illustrated from current D/E. Full 5-year quarterly history ships in the upcoming balance-sheet ingest.
Industry comparison
The Financial Services sector median D/E is roughly 1.8. CWB.TO's reading of 1.72 is currently broadly in line with.
Compare CWB.TO against every Financial Services peer in the full sector list.
Interpreting CWB.TO's debt-to-equity
What "High" means here: Significantly debt-heavy. Often seen in financials (which are not directly comparable) and in companies executing aggressive buybacks. Cash-flow durability is the key question.
Sector context matters: a D/E of 1.5 in financials or utilities is normal. The same number in software or pharma is a yellow flag. Always anchor your read against the sector median above before forming a view.
Watch the direction: a slowly rising D/E is fine if return on invested capital (see the fundamentals page) is comfortably above the cost of debt. A rapidly rising D/E paired with deteriorating ROIC is the classic distressed-equity pattern.
Stress test: ask yourself what CWB.TO looks like if revenue drops 20% for two years. With its current interest coverage of N/A, can the company keep paying interest? The Altman Z-Score on the fundamentals page is a quick formal version of this question.
Related CWB.TO analyses
Frequently asked about CWB.TO debt-to-equity
What is CWB.TO's debt-to-equity ratio?↓
CWB.TO's current debt-to-equity ratio is 1.72 as of May 25, 2026. That puts it in the "High" category. Significantly debt-heavy. Often seen in financials (which are not directly comparable) and in companies executing aggressive buybacks. Cash-flow durability is the key question.
How is debt-to-equity calculated?↓
Debt-to-equity = total debt / shareholders' equity. Total debt usually includes both short-term and long-term interest-bearing borrowings (sometimes called total liabilities in older definitions). We use the FMP "debtEquityRatioTTM" field, which is total debt over equity on a trailing twelve-month basis.
Is CWB.TO's D/E ratio safe?↓
"Safe" depends on the business model. A 1.72 D/E is high. The more important question is cash coverage: with an interest-coverage ratio of N/A and a current ratio of 0.00, CWB.TO can service its debt obligations at the current operating level.
How does CWB.TO compare to the Financial Services average?↓
The Financial Services sector median D/E is roughly 1.8. CWB.TO's 1.72 is broadly in line with peers.
When is high debt-to-equity dangerous?↓
High D/E is dangerous when (1) cash flow coverage is weak (interest coverage below 3x), (2) earnings are cyclical or capital-intensive, (3) refinancing exposure is concentrated in the next 12-24 months, (4) the company is paying out a large dividend or running buybacks while issuing more debt. Conversely, high D/E can be perfectly fine for stable-cash-flow utilities, REITs, and regulated financials — context matters.