Return on equity
Profit as a percentage of the money shareholders have in the business.
Return on equity shows how much profit the company makes on the capital shareholders have put in or left in. A business that earns 20% on equity year after year and can reinvest at that rate compounds quickly.
Where it misleads. Debt shrinks equity and inflates ROE, and so do large buybacks: some companies have negative equity and a meaningless ROE. Read it next to debt to equity and return on assets.
Return on equity (ROE) across the S&P 500 today
463 companies with a meaningful value, as of Oct 11, 2026. Full ranked list.
Highest in the S&P 500
| Las Vegas Sands Corp LVS | 297.2% |
|---|---|
| Mastercard Inc MA | 289.7% |
| Tapestry Inc TPR | 220.7% |
| Expedia Group Inc. EXPE | 168.4% |
| Live Nation Entertainment Inc LYV | 163.6% |
| Seagate Technology PLC STX | 146.9% |
| Applovin Corp APP | 139.4% |
| Fortinet Inc FTNT | 136.7% |
| Apple Inc AAPL | 119.9% |
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation KMB | 111.7% |
Lowest in the S&P 500
| Lumentum Holdings Inc LITE | -149.3% |
|---|---|
| Paramount Skydance Corporation Class B Common Stock PSKY | -52.6% |
| Moderna Inc MRNA | -46.6% |
| Gilead Sciences Inc GILD | -27.4% |
| International Paper IP | -23.8% |
| Centene Corp CNC | -22.6% |
| Dow Inc DOW | -18.2% |
| Baxter International Inc BAX | -17.1% |
| Ford Motor Company F | -16.3% |
| Intel Corporation INTC | -12.9% |
Median return on equity (ROE) by sector
S&P 500 companies only. Sectors differ a lot, so compare a company with its own sector first.
| Sector | Median | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Cyclical | 30.4% | 41 |
| Technology | 24.0% | 79 |
| Industrials | 21.0% | 70 |
| Consumer Defensive | 19.8% | 26 |
| Basic Materials | 17.1% | 15 |
| Communication Services | 16.2% | 20 |
| Financial Services | 16.1% | 68 |
| Energy | 15.6% | 21 |
| Healthcare | 13.7% | 50 |
| Utilities | 10.1% | 31 |
| Real Estate | 7.3% | 25 |
Questions
What is Return on equity (ROE)?
Profit as a percentage of the money shareholders have in the business.
How is Return on equity (ROE) calculated?
ROE = net income ÷ shareholders' equity.
What is a normal return on equity (ROE)?
Across 463 S&P 500 companies, the median is 16.1%; the middle half sits between 9.4% and 29.6%. It varies a lot by sector.
Related terms
Live figures from the latest prices and SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice. Updated October 9, 2026.