Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

Debt-to-equity ratio

		Dec 31, 2023	Sep 30, 2023	Jun 30, 2023	Mar 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2022	Sep 30, 2022	Jun 30, 2022	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021	Dec 31, 2020	Sep 30, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Mar 31, 2020	Dec 31, 2019	Sep 30, 2019	Jun 30, 2019	Mar 31, 2019
Long-term debt	US$ in thousands	13,599,000	14,477,000	14,562,000	14,615,000	14,522,000	15,297,000	16,755,000	17,086,000	17,296,000	17,446,000	17,547,000	17,489,000	18,527,000	18,349,000	18,184,000	16,804,000	16,661,000	17,639,000	18,982,000	18,845,000
Total stockholders’ equity	US$ in thousands	38,603,000	37,481,000	37,174,000	37,010,000	36,686,000	35,675,000	36,490,000	35,399,000	35,802,000	34,422,000	33,800,000	33,562,000	32,784,000	31,386,000	30,578,000	30,218,000	31,088,000	31,817,000	31,686,000	30,925,000
Debt-to-equity ratio		0.35	0.39	0.39	0.39	0.40	0.43	0.46	0.48	0.48	0.51	0.52	0.52	0.57	0.58	0.59	0.56	0.54	0.55	0.60	0.61

December 31, 2023 calculation

Debt-to-equity ratio = Long-term debt ÷ Total stockholders’ equity
= $13,599,000K ÷ $38,603,000K
= 0.35

Abbott Laboratories' debt-to-equity ratio has shown a declining trend over the past few quarters, indicating a relatively lower level of financial leverage. The ratio decreased from 0.48 in Q1 2022 to 0.38 in Q4 2023. This suggests that the company relies less on debt financing compared to its equity, which can be viewed positively as it indicates a lower risk of financial distress. Overall, the company's decreasing debt-to-equity ratio reflects a stronger financial position and a better ability to cover its debt obligations through its equity. Investors may view this trend favorably as it signifies a more conservative capital structure and a lower level of financial risk for Abbott Laboratories.