Debt-to-Equity Rankings: Most Leveraged S&P 500 Companies

An analysis of 485 S&P 500 companies ranked by their debt-to-equity ratio. With interest rates elevated, heavily leveraged companies face increased pressure on earnings.

485
Companies Analyzed
91.91
Highest D/E Ratio (CLX)
22
Companies with Negative Equity

Top 150 Most Leveraged Companies

Companies are ranked by their Debt-to-Equity ratio. Companies flagged with "Negative Equity" have liabilities exceeding their assets, making the traditional D/E ratio less meaningful.

Rank Company D/E Ratio Total Debt Total Equity Net Debt Current Ratio
1
The Clorox Company
CLX Consumer Defensive Negative Equity
N/A (Neg) $3.2B -$125.0M $3.0B 0.74
2
Masco Corporation
MAS Industrials Negative Equity
N/A (Neg) $3.2B -$184.5M $2.6B 1.81
3
Colgate-Palmolive Company
CL Consumer Defensive
23.44 $8.6B $53.7M $7.2B 0.83
4
GoDaddy Inc.
GDDY Technology
17.96 $3.9B $212.8M $2.7B 0.62
5
Verisk Analytics, Inc.
VRSK Industrials
15.82 $4.9B $308.0M $2.7B 1.20
6
DaVita Inc.
DVA Healthcare Negative Equity
N/A (Neg) $12.9B -$634.9M $12.2B 1.29
7
Seagate Technology Holdings plc
STX Technology
10.47 $4.8B $471.3M $3.8B 1.12
8
Gartner, Inc.
IT Technology
10.47 $3.3B $318.1M $1.6B 1.00
9
The Boeing Company
BA Industrials
10.33 $56.4B $5.5B $27.7B 1.19
10
NRG Energy, Inc.
NRG Utilities
9.89 $16.6B $1.2B $11.9B 1.64
11
MGM Resorts International
MGM Consumer Cyclical
9.63 $31.6B $2.4B $29.3B 1.23
12
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
LVS Consumer Cyclical
8.29 $16.0B $1.6B $12.2B 1.14
13
Tapestry, Inc.
TPR Consumer Cyclical
7.15 $3.9B $550.5M $2.9B 1.63
14
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
NCLH Consumer Cyclical
7.03 $15.5B $2.2B $15.3B 0.21
15
Amgen Inc.
AMGN Healthcare
6.40 $55.4B $8.7B $46.3B 1.14
16
Sysco Corporation
SYY Consumer Defensive
6.40 $15.0B $2.3B $13.7B 1.30
17
Hasbro, Inc.
HAS Consumer Cyclical
6.01 $3.4B $539.7M $2.5B 1.38
18
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GS Financial Services
5.96 $747.6B $105.8B -$249.0B 1.53
19
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
LYV Communication Services
5.72 $10.4B $271.9M $3.3B 1.00
20
Targa Resources Corp.
TRGP Energy
5.49 $17.5B $3.1B $17.4B 0.67
21
The Home Depot, Inc.
HD Consumer Cyclical
5.10 $65.4B $12.8B $64.0B 1.06
22
Charter Communications, Inc.
CHTR Communication Services
4.82 $99.0B $16.1B $98.5B 0.39
23
Cencora, Inc.
COR Healthcare
4.73 $9.9B $1.9B $8.2B 0.92
24
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
KMB Consumer Defensive
4.65 $7.6B $1.5B $6.8B 0.75
25
Ford Motor Company
F Consumer Cyclical
4.61 $165.7B $35.3B $137.3B 1.08
26
Morgan Stanley
MS Financial Services
4.56 $513.4B $102.2B -$87.0B 2.05
27
Simon Property Group, Inc.
SPG Real Estate
4.35 $29.2B $5.2B $28.4B 0.24
28
American Tower Corporation
AMT Real Estate
4.34 $45.0B $3.7B $43.5B 0.40
29
Oracle Corporation
ORCL Technology
4.33 $131.7B $30.0B $112.0B 0.91
30
The Kroger Co.
KR Consumer Defensive
4.16 $24.7B $7.8B $21.3B 0.80
31
Citigroup Inc.
C Financial Services
4.04 $777.2B $192.4B -$212.5B N/A
32
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
MSI Technology
4.02 $9.8B $2.4B $8.6B 1.04
33
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
DRI Consumer Cyclical
4.01 $8.3B $2.1B $8.1B 0.39
34
Vistra Corp.
VST Utilities
4.00 $20.4B $2.6B $19.6B 0.78
35
Gen Digital Inc.
GEN Technology
3.63 $8.5B $2.3B $7.9B 0.47
36
Lockheed Martin Corporation
LMT Industrials
3.39 $22.8B $6.8B $18.6B 1.09
37
The Sherwin-Williams Company
SHW Basic Materials
3.06 $14.1B $4.6B $13.9B 0.87
38
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPM Financial Services
3.00 $1.0T $342.5B -$261.7B N/A
39
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
ITW Industrials
2.86 $9.2B $3.2B $8.4B 1.21
40
Zoetis Inc.
ZTS Healthcare
2.80 $9.3B $3.3B $7.0B 3.03
41
Bank of America Corporation
BAC Financial Services
2.78 $767.1B $275.9B -$3.1B N/A
42
3M Company
MMM Industrials
2.77 $13.1B $4.7B $5.2B 1.71
43
Wells Fargo & Company
WFC Financial Services
2.70 $443.5B $164.1B -$5.7B N/A
44
The AES Corporation
AES Utilities
2.59 $30.9B $4.1B $29.4B 0.77
45
PepsiCo, Inc.
PEP Consumer Defensive
2.58 $53.0B $20.4B $43.5B 0.85
46
Mastercard Incorporated
MA Financial Services
2.56 $19.8B $7.7B $8.9B 1.04
47
Jabil Inc.
JBL Technology
2.56 $3.4B $1.3B $1.9B 0.99
48
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
BMY Healthcare
2.55 $47.2B $18.5B $36.5B 1.26
49
Expedia Group, Inc.
EXPE Consumer Cyclical
2.55 $6.5B $1.2B $754.0M 0.73
50
IQVIA Holdings Inc.
IQV Healthcare
2.46 $16.3B $6.5B $14.2B 0.75
51
Corpay, Inc.
CPAY Technology
2.43 $10.3B $3.9B $7.9B 0.98
52
Deere & Company
DE Industrials
2.40 $63.2B $26.3B $57.9B 2.25
53
Waste Management, Inc.
WM Industrials
2.39 $23.9B $10.0B $23.7B 0.89
54
CDW Corporation
CDW Technology
2.37 $6.2B $2.6B $5.6B 1.18
55
Honeywell International Inc.
HON Industrials
2.37 $35.6B $13.9B $22.6B 1.30
56
NetApp, Inc.
NTAP Technology
2.36 $2.7B $1.2B -$281.0M 1.39
57
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
EL Consumer Defensive
2.33 $9.4B $2.8B $6.3B 1.36
58
State Street Corporation
STT Financial Services
2.30 $55.9B $24.3B -$87.3B N/A
59
Tractor Supply Company
TSCO Consumer Cyclical
2.30 $5.9B $2.6B $5.7B 1.34
60
Carnival Corporation & plc
CCL Consumer Cyclical
2.28 $28.0B $11.6B $26.1B 0.32
61
BXP, Inc.
BXP Real Estate
2.26 $17.4B $5.1B $15.9B 0.92
62
MetLife, Inc.
MET Financial Services
2.26 $65.4B $28.3B $39.7B 1.90
63
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
LW Consumer Defensive
2.25 $3.9B $1.8B $3.9B 1.43
64
Dollar Tree, Inc.
DLTR Consumer Defensive
2.21 $7.7B $3.4B $7.1B 0.96
65
Edison International
EIX Utilities
2.16 $41.5B $17.1B $41.4B 0.73
66
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
RCL Consumer Cyclical
2.15 $22.0B $10.0B $21.2B 0.18
67
DTE Energy Company
DTE Utilities
2.14 $26.3B $12.3B $26.1B 0.80
68
T-Mobile US, Inc.
TMUS Communication Services
2.09 $123.6B $58.9B $118.0B 1.00
69
General Motors Company
GM Consumer Cyclical
2.08 $131.6B $61.1B $103.9B 1.17
70
Caterpillar Inc.
CAT Industrials
2.07 $44.1B $21.3B $34.7B 1.44
71
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CNP Utilities
2.07 $23.0B $11.2B $22.5B 0.91
72
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
UAL Industrials
2.03 $31.0B $15.3B $18.8B 0.65
73
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
PNW Utilities
2.02 $14.3B $7.0B $14.3B 0.54
74
Dollar General Corporation
DG Consumer Defensive
2.02 $16.5B $8.2B $15.3B 1.17
75
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
BK Financial Services
2.01 $79.2B $39.5B -$109.0B N/A
76
International Business Machines Corporation
IBM Technology
1.97 $64.6B $32.7B $50.2B 0.96
77
The Williams Companies, Inc.
WMB Energy
1.97 $29.5B $12.8B $29.5B 0.53
78
CMS Energy Corporation
CMS Utilities
1.95 $18.9B $8.9B $18.4B 0.98
79
FirstEnergy Corp.
FE Utilities
1.93 $26.8B $12.5B $26.8B 0.57
80
American Express Company
AXP Financial Services
1.91 $63.9B $33.5B $16.3B 1.41
81
The Southern Company
SO Utilities
1.91 $74.1B $36.0B $72.4B 0.65
82
PG&E Corporation
PCG Utilities
1.87 $61.3B $31.0B $60.6B 0.97
83
Eversource Energy
ES Utilities
1.85 $30.2B $16.2B $30.1B 0.65
84
The Campbell's Company
CPB Consumer Defensive
1.85 $7.3B $4.0B $7.1B 0.82
85
Entergy Corporation
ETR Utilities
1.82 $31.3B $16.9B $29.4B 0.74
86
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
CMG Consumer Cyclical
1.79 $5.1B $2.8B $4.0B 1.24
87
Union Pacific Corporation
UNP Industrials
1.78 $32.8B $18.5B $31.3B 0.91
88
Moody's Corporation
MCO Financial Services
1.77 $7.4B $4.0B $5.0B 1.74
89
Avery Dennison Corporation
AVY Consumer Cyclical
1.76 $4.0B $2.2B $3.7B 1.13
90
United Parcel Service, Inc.
UPS Industrials
1.76 $28.6B $14.2B $22.7B 1.22
91
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ Communication Services
1.75 $184.8B $104.5B $165.8B 0.91
92
United Rentals, Inc.
URI Industrials
1.75 $15.7B $9.0B $15.2B 0.95
93
Exelon Corporation
EXC Utilities
1.74 $50.2B $28.8B $49.6B 0.92
94
Duke Energy Corporation
DUK Utilities
1.72 $91.1B $50.8B $90.9B 0.55
95
AppLovin Corporation
APP Communication Services
1.72 $3.7B $1.9B $1.2B 3.32
96
Aon plc
AON Financial Services
1.68 $16.1B $9.4B $13.5B 1.11
97
Alliant Energy Corporation
LNT Utilities
1.68 $12.3B $7.3B $11.8B 0.80
98
Broadcom Inc.
AVGO Technology
1.66 $40.5B $280.8B $29.4B 1.90
99
Eli Lilly and Company
LLY Healthcare
1.65 $43.9B $26.5B $36.6B 1.58
100
Ares Management Corporation
ARES Financial Services
1.63 $14.2B $2.8B $12.8B 0.47
101
Equinix, Inc.
EQIX Real Estate
1.60 $22.7B $14.2B $21.0B 1.32
102
Baxter International Inc.
BAX Healthcare
1.60 $9.8B $6.1B $7.8B 2.31
103
WEC Energy Group, Inc.
WEC Utilities
1.59 $22.4B $13.6B $22.4B 0.59
104
Genuine Parts Company
GPC Consumer Cyclical
1.56 $6.9B $4.4B $6.5B 1.08
105
eBay Inc.
EBAY Consumer Cyclical
1.56 $7.2B $4.6B $4.3B 1.10
106
American Electric Power Company, Inc.
AEP Utilities
1.54 $49.7B $31.1B $49.3B 0.46
107
Xcel Energy Inc.
XEL Utilities
1.53 $36.1B $23.6B $35.8B 0.71
108
Lennox International Inc.
LII Industrials
1.52 $1.8B $1.2B $1.7B 1.60
109
Northern Trust Corporation
NTRS Financial Services
1.52 $18.3B $12.0B $7.3B N/A
110
Dominion Energy, Inc.
D Utilities
1.50 $50.2B $28.1B $49.9B 0.77
111
Evergy, Inc.
EVRG Utilities
1.50 $15.4B $10.2B $15.4B 0.49
112
CSX Corporation
CSX Industrials
1.48 $19.5B $13.2B $18.8B 0.81
113
General Mills, Inc.
GIS Consumer Defensive
1.47 $13.7B $9.3B $13.1B 0.66
114
Ameren Corporation
AEE Utilities
1.47 $19.9B $13.4B $19.9B 0.66
115
American Water Works Company, Inc.
AWK Utilities
1.47 $15.9B $10.8B $15.8B 0.46
116
ONEOK, Inc.
OKE Energy
1.46 $33.1B $22.5B $33.0B 0.71
117
NextEra Energy, Inc.
NEE Utilities
1.46 $97.2B $54.6B $94.4B 0.60
118
UDR, Inc.
UDR Real Estate
1.45 $6.0B $3.2B $6.0B 0.16
119
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.
LYB Basic Materials
1.44 $14.7B $10.1B $11.3B 1.77
120
Federal Realty Investment Trust
FRT Real Estate
1.44 $5.0B $3.1B $4.9B 0.37
121
The J. M. Smucker Company
SJM Consumer Defensive
1.43 $7.5B $5.2B $7.4B 0.84
122
Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
PEG Utilities
1.43 $24.2B $17.0B $24.1B 0.80
123
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
MPC Energy
1.43 $34.4B $17.3B $30.7B 1.26
124
U.S. Bancorp
USB Financial Services
1.42 $82.7B $58.3B $32.2B N/A
125
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
MRSH Financial Services
1.40 $21.4B $15.1B $18.8B 1.10
126
The Coca-Cola Company
KO Consumer Defensive
1.40 $47.9B $32.2B $32.1B 1.46
127
Best Buy Co., Inc.
BBY Consumer Cyclical
1.39 $4.1B $3.0B $2.4B 1.11
128
NiSource Inc.
NI Utilities
1.39 $16.2B $9.5B $16.1B 0.69
129
Amcor plc
AMCR Consumer Cyclical
1.39 $16.2B $11.6B $15.1B 1.30
130
Robinhood Markets, Inc.
HOOD Financial Services
1.36 $12.4B $8.0B -$197.0M 1.13
131
Ball Corporation
BALL Consumer Cyclical
1.36 $7.4B $5.4B $6.2B 1.11
132
Constellation Brands, Inc.
STZ Consumer Defensive
1.33 $10.7B $7.7B $10.5B 1.34
133
Carvana Co.
CVNA Consumer Cyclical
1.33 $5.6B $2.8B $2.8B 4.31
134
The TJX Companies, Inc.
TJX Consumer Cyclical
1.32 $13.5B $10.1B $7.3B 1.14
135
PPL Corporation
PPL Utilities
1.31 $19.5B $14.9B $18.4B 0.87
136
Paychex, Inc.
PAYX Technology
1.30 $5.0B $3.9B $3.5B 1.27
137
Pool Corporation
POOL Industrials
1.30 $1.5B $1.2B $1.4B 2.24
138
Target Corporation
TGT Consumer Defensive
1.26 $20.3B $16.2B $14.8B 0.94
139
Prudential Financial, Inc.
PRU Financial Services
1.24 $44.3B $32.4B $3.3B 0.92
140
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.
IBKR Financial Services
1.24 $25.5B $5.4B -$80.1B 1.11
141
AT&T Inc.
T Communication Services
1.24 $159.6B $110.0B $141.3B 0.91
142
The Hershey Company
HSY Consumer Defensive
1.24 $5.7B $3.4B $4.8B 1.19
143
Truist Financial Corporation
TFC Financial Services
1.22 $72.9B $59.6B $26.2B N/A
144
Healthpeak Properties, Inc.
DOC Real Estate
1.22 $10.1B $7.5B $9.7B 1.22
145
NXP Semiconductors N.V.
NXPI Technology
1.20 $12.5B $10.0B $9.2B 2.05
146
Essex Property Trust, Inc.
ESS Real Estate
1.19 $6.9B $5.5B $6.8B 0.15
147
Amphenol Corporation
APH Technology
1.19 $16.1B $13.4B $4.6B 2.98
148
Consolidated Edison, Inc.
ED Utilities
1.17 $28.4B $24.2B $26.8B 1.02
149
Builders FirstSource, Inc.
BLDR Industrials
1.17 $5.1B $4.4B $4.9B 1.86
150
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
BR Technology
1.17 $3.4B $2.9B $3.0B 0.97

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good debt-to-equity ratio?
A "good" debt-to-equity ratio varies heavily by industry. Capital-intensive industries like utilities and manufacturing typically have higher ratios (often 1.0 to 2.0 or more), while technology companies usually have lower ratios. Generally, a ratio below 1.0 is considered relatively safe, meaning a company has more equity than debt.
Which companies have the most debt?
Companies in the telecommunications, utilities, and financial sectors often hold the largest absolute amounts of debt. However, absolute debt must be compared to equity and cash flow to determine true leverage. In our analysis, The Clorox Company (CLX) screen as having the highest standard D/E ratio among positive-equity companies.
Is high debt-to-equity always bad?
No. Debt is often cheaper than equity financing due to tax-deductible interest payments. Companies with highly predictable cash flows (like utilities) can safely handle higher debt loads. However, in a high-interest-rate environment, companies with high leverage and variable-rate debt or upcoming refinancing needs face significant risk.
What sector has the highest leverage?
Utilities, Real Estate, and Consumer Defensive typically exhibit higher leverage ratios due to their stable cash flows and capital-intensive nature, which allows them to comfortably service higher debt loads.
How does debt-to-equity affect stock price?
High leverage amplifies both gains and losses for shareholders. When business is good, debt boosts return on equity. When business slows, high interest payments can quickly wipe out profits, leading to higher stock price volatility and potential downside risk.

Methodology & Data

Data was collected for 485 S&P 500 components as of 2026. The analysis excludes companies where total debt or market capitalization data was entirely unavailable.

  • Debt-to-Equity (D/E): Calculated as Total Debt divided by Total Shareholder Equity.
  • Negative Equity: Companies where accumulated deficits or massive share buybacks have pushed Total Equity below zero. For these firms, traditional D/E ratios are not meaningful, but they are highly levered.
  • Net Debt: Total Debt minus Cash and Cash Equivalents.

Disclaimer: This site provides data and analysis for informational purposes only. Nothing here constitutes investment advice. Do your own research.