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A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
EMD'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.32 Med: 0.39 Max: 0.43
Current: 0.37
During the past 9 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund was 0.43. The lowest was 0.32. And the median was 0.39.
EMD's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 63.31% of 962
companies
in the Asset Management industry
Industry Median: 0.21
vs EMD: 0.37
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund (NYSE:EMD) Debt-to-Equity Explanation
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Debt-to-Equity Chart
For the Asset Management subindustry, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Debt-to-Equity vs Asset Management Industry
For the Asset Management industry and Financial Services sector, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund (EMD) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.37 as of Dec. 2025. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 0.39. Over the past decade, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.32 to 0.43. According to the industry distribution chart, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund ranks #609 out of 962 companies in the Asset Management industry, placing it in the top 63.3%.
Is Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.37 is near median its 10-year median of 0.39. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.32 to a high of 0.43. The Asset Management industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.21. Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's value of 0.37 is 76.2% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund ranks #609 out of 962 companies in the Asset Management industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund has a GF Score™ of 54/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's Debt-to-Equity compare to NDMO and NCDL?
According to the Asset Management industry distribution chart, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund ranks #609 out of 962 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.21. Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's value of 0.37 is 76.2% above this benchmark. Historically, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.32 to 0.43 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.39 vs. the industry median of 0.21, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for an Asset Management company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Asset Management companies is 0.21, based on 962 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.37 is 76.2% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund and its competitors. For the Asset Management industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.21 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.37, which is near median its own 10-year median of 0.39. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund (EMD) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $13.93, compared to a current price of $10.47 — trading 24.8% below its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.37, which is near median its 10-year median of 0.39 and 76.2% above the Asset Management industry median of 0.21. Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund's overall GF Score™ is 54/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund (EMD), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.37 as of Dec. 2025. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund (EMD) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $10.47 is trading 24.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of $13.93.
GuruFocus considers Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for EMD:
Debt-to-Equity: 0.37 (near median its 10-year median of 0.39)
GF Value™: $13.93 vs. price of $10.47 (24.8% below fair value)
Industry Position: 76.2% above the Asset Management median (#609 of 962)
No single metric tells the full story. See the EMD stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Business Description
Western Asset Emg Markets Debt Fund Inc is a non-diversified closed-end management and long term investment company. The primary investment objective of the company is to seek high current income, and the secondary objective is to seek capital appreciation.
54GF Score
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