Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.
Equus Total ReturnEQS -0.54%28 Debt-to-Equity is 0.14 as of Jun. 2026, which is 67% below its 10-year median of 0.43. GuruFocus rates EQS with a GF Score™ of 28/100. The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 933 Asset Management companies, Equus Total Return ranks better than 61.41% on this metric.
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.
The historical rank and industry rank for Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
EQS'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.05 Med: 0.43 Max: 1.37
Current: 0.14
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Equus Total Return was 1.37. The lowest was 0.05. And the median was 0.43.
EQS's Debt-to-Equity is ranked better than 61.41% of 933
companies
in the Asset Management industry
Industry Median: 0.22
vs EQS: 0.14
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.
Equus Total Return Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Equus Total Return Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:
* 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.
For the Asset Management subindustry, Equus Total Return'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.
Equus Total Return Debt-to-Equity vs Asset Management Industry
For the Asset Management industry and Financial Services sector, Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Equus Total Return'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.
Equus Total Return (EQS) has a Debt-to-Equity of 0.14 as of Jun. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Equus Total Return and its competitors. This is 67% below median its historical median of 0.43. Over the past decade, Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.05 to 1.37. According to the industry distribution chart, Equus Total Return ranks #360 out of 933 companies in the Asset Management industry, placing it in the top 38.6%.
Is Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity too high?
Equus Total Return's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.14 is 67% below median its 10-year median of 0.43. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.05 to a high of 1.37. The Asset Management industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.22. Equus Total Return's value of 0.14 is 36.4% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Equus Total Return ranks #360 out of 933 companies in the Asset Management industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Equus Total Return has a GF Score™ of 28/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Equus Total Return's Debt-to-Equity compare to ALP and FXBY?
According to the Asset Management industry distribution chart, Equus Total Return ranks #360 out of 933 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This puts Equus Total Return in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.22. Equus Total Return's value of 0.14 is 36.4% below this benchmark. Historically, Equus Total Return's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.05 to 1.37 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.43 vs. the industry median of 0.22, Equus Total Return has consistently been below 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 0.22, based on 933 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. Equus Total Return's current Debt-to-Equity of 0.14 is 36.4% below 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 Equus Total Return and its competitors. For the Asset Management industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.22 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Equus Total Return's current Debt-to-Equity is 0.14, which is 67% below median its own 10-year median of 0.43. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Equus Total Return stock overvalued right now?
Equus Total Return (EQS) has a current Debt-to-Equity of 0.14. The current Debt-to-Equity is 0.14, which is 67% below median its 10-year median of 0.43 and 36.4% below the Asset Management industry median of 0.22. Equus Total Return's overall GF Score™ is 28/100 with 1 warning sign 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 Equus Total Return (EQS), the current Debt-to-Equity is 0.14 as of Jun. 2026. 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.
Equus Total Return Inc is a United States-based closed-end management investment company. The company invests mainly in companies pursuing growth either through acquisition or organically, leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and recapitalizations of existing businesses or special situations, and achieves capital appreciation by making investments in equity and equity-oriented securities issued by privately-owned companies or smaller public companies in transactions.
28GF Score
Get the complete analysis for EQS
Debt-to-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
EQS has been successfully added to your 
