First American Financial Debt to Equity

First American Financial posts a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. That is above the Finance sector average of 1.98. Comparing that reading with peers and prior periods is usually more useful than looking at the number in isolation.

For Finance stocks, a debt-to-equity ratio near 1.98 is typical. First American Financial's 2.01 is higher that level. That is roughly 1.4% above the sector mean. Whether that is a warning or an opportunity depends on growth outlook and other fundamentals shown elsewhere on Stockcircle.

First American Financial's debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01 comes from dividing a price-based measure by a related financial statistic. Changes can come from the stock price moving, the underlying fundamental shifting, or both. Track both the level and the trend — a rising multiple on falling fundamentals is a different story than a rising multiple on rising earnings.

Context for FAF's debt-to-equity ratio usually means three checks: (1) trend versus prior periods, (2) level versus peers (average 1.98), and (3) consistency with growth and profitability. This page covers the first two; First American Financial's other metric pages and overview cover the third.

Judging First American Financial against Finance peers is usually better than using a market-wide rule of thumb. Business models inside Finance are more comparable, which makes gaps in debt-to-equity ratio easier to interpret. Start with 2.01 here, then scan peer and history charts to see if the gap is persistent.